Starting Strong

By: Mike Rifkin

On Sunday David Peterson gave the Mets 4.1 innings of shutout baseball. The 4.1 shutout innings lowered the Mets starters ERA to a staggering 1.07 through 10 games. Peterson was making the start for Taijuan Walker who got hurt in his last start and manager Buck Showalter said he expects Walker to make a rehab start sometime this week. 

The Mets have yet to receive a start from ace Jacob deGrom who is dealing with a stress reaction in his right scapula. deGrom said before Friday’s home opener that he expects to get an MRI in the next 10 days. In 2021 deGrom only made 15 starts due to various injuries to his back and forearm. Prior to the injury deGrom was dominating with a 1.08 ERA and in 92.0 innings deGrom had 146 strikeouts and 11 walks, which made his strikeout to walk ratio 13.3. 

In deGrom’s absence somebody had to step up and through two starts Tylor Megill has stepped up massively. Megill, who got the opening day start for the Mets and will start Monday against the Giants, has not given up a run in his first two starts. Megill made 18 starts last season and went 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA in 18 starts. Megill last year had 99 strikeouts and 27 walks in 89.2 innings. Through two starts this season Megill has 11 strikeouts through 10.1 innings and has not walked a single hitter yet. 

With deGrom’s health a question mark, Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman leaving in free agency the Mets front office had to go out and get some starting pitching. The first move they made was signing three time CY Young award winner Max Scherzer to a three year contract. Scherzer is 2-0 so far on the season with a 3.27 ERA, which is the highest on the Mets staff so far. Scherzer has 13 strikeouts and four walks in 11 innings. 

The Mets also made a trade with the Athletics to acquire 2021 All Star Chris Bassitt for two minor leaguers. Bassitt so far is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Bassitt has 14 strikeouts and three walks in 12.0 innings. But both Bassitt and Scherzer have been showed in the dugout showing other starters’ things on the IPad. But both also bring an old school mentality especially Scherzer who hasn’t had his best stuff in his first two starts but he knows how to pitch and that is what both of these guys have shown through two starts. 

But the most welcome surprise from the rotation has to be what the Mets have gotten so far from Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco, who was acquired in the Francisco Lindor trade, struggled in his first season in Flushing. Carrasco had a hamstring injury that kept him out most of the first half of the season,  Carrasco went 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA in 12 starts last season. He had work done on his Elbow and has really been good in his first two starts. In my opinion Carrasco is the key to this rotation. You expect Scherzer to be Scherzer and hope eventually deGrom can come back healthy. But to have a top four of deGrom, Scherzer, Bassitt and Carrasco would be something for a team with high expectations.

Do I think the Mets will pitch to a 1.07 starter’s ERA all season? No, but if they stay healthy they can give the Mets a chance to win any game. This staff will get better with the returns of deGrom and Walker but right now the Mets starting rotation has been sensational for a team that has some lofty expectations.