New-look lineup is exactly what was needed
WASHINGTON — In years past, the Mets would require perfection from their pitchers to have a shot at beating their opponent. This season’s lineup, however, offers minimal breathing room for opposing starters. In that way, Mets pitchers can afford to allow a couple of mistakes and know that their offense will still keep the team in the game.
That was what Max Scherzer experienced on Friday night, as he pushed himself to make his Mets debut despite being in pain with hamstring tightness. Scherzer, in his 15th season as a big-league starter and virtual lock for the Hall of Fame, knew how to pitch around his injury and still put up results. The results weren’t perfect — he gave up three earned runs on three hits over six innings — but that was OK. The Mets offense picked him up.
“The rest of the team had big two-out hits,” Scherzer said on Friday. “When you get a little breathing room, you get some run support like that, it allows you to be aggressive and attack the hitters.”
The Mets’ new-look offense is exactly what the doctor ordered. The lineup is deep. The hitters are gritty. Smart hitting and aggressive baserunning have been on display in the first two games of the year, featuring bunt singles against the shift (looking at you, Robinson Cano) and two-out, two-run singles (that’s Starling Marte’s immediate impact) with third-base coach Joey Cora boldly waving
runners home.
Yes, it’s still early in the season. But last year, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis as early as May 6, so it’s not as if these initial games don’t matter. The Mets’ hot start should not be ignored, even if just for the simple fact we didn’t see this type of offensive production last year. The 2022 Mets are refreshing to watch.
The Amazin’s entered Saturday leading the majors in hits (25) and on-base percentage (.453). In their third game of the season, the Mets have the opportunity to do something they did only twice last season: record 10 or more hits in three straight games. In last year’s hugely disappointing season, the Mets hit .204 with two outs and runners in scoring position, good for 28th in the league. In these first couple of games, we’ve already seen hitters take unselfish at-bats and capitalize with runners on base.
“We don’t really have anybody that’s going out there trying to hit the ball 500 feet,” J.D. Davis. said. “Like Pete (Alonso), he’ll let loose here and there. But we do a pretty good job of trying to get base hits and work at-bats. We’ve just been getting guys on base. Continuously putting pressure on the pitcher, making him throw more pitches. Seems like we almost have a guy on base every single inning. Just kind of making them bend until they break is kind of a goal that we have.”
New Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez has emphasized a blend of both traditional, situational hitting and analytical approaches at the plate. He doesn’t want hitters to be bogged down by statistics and information by the time they dig into the box. At least initially, it has led to a terrific offensive display because Mets hitters are buying into the approach.