METS LOSE ACE, BEAT CARDS
There are two constants to the Mets’ season: injuries and wins.
They learned Thursday that Max Scherzer will join fellow ace Jacob deGrom on the injured list for a lengthy stretch. Then New York wasted a ninth-inning lead against the St. Louis Cardinals and fell behind in the 10th.
Pete Alonso ended an afternoon of twists with a two-run homer into the left field second deck leading off the bottom of the 10th for a 7-6 victory that sent the Mets flying even before they headed to Colorado for the start of a six-game trip.
New York took three of four from the Cardinals and at 26-14 is tied for the fourthbest 40-game start in Mets history. In a game with four lead changes, Jeff McNeil had a tiebreaking, two-run single, three RBIs and made two snazzy catches.
The Mets said during the game that Scherzer had been diagnosed with a strained oblique muscle in his left side after leaving Wednesday night’s win following a pitch. Scherzer is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, another blow to a team that leads the NL East despite missing deGrom, No. 5 starter Tylor Megill and catcher James McCann to injuries, along with relievers Sean Reid-Foley and Trevor May.
“It’s a great opportunity for guys that we’re talking about bringing in here,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Got some guys that will meet us in Denver and try to hold fort.”
David Peterson probably will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to join a rotation that includes Chris Bassitt (4-2, 2.34), Carlos Carrasco (3-1, 3.73) and Taijuan Walker (1-0, 3.52).
Peterson, a 26-year-old left-hander, is 1-0 with 1.89 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance for the Mets this season and 2-1 with a 4.02 ERA in three starts at Triple-A.
Trevor Williams, a 30year-old right-hander who is 0-2 with a 4.20 ERA in two starts and four relief appearances, could enter the rotation. Another possibility is 25-year-old left-hander Thomas Szapucki, 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in six start at Syracuse with 29 strikeouts and nine walks in 21 innings.
The Cardinals are hurting too and will bring up their second- and third-ranked prospects for major league debuts.
Nolan Gorman will start at second base in today’s series opener at Pittsburgh and Matthew Liberatore will be on the mound for Saturday’s game against the Pirates.
Notable
Guardians star third baseman Jose Ramirez will undergo X-rays and other tests on his right shin after being injured during an atbat in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Reds. Ramirez collapsed in pain after fouling a ball off his shin in the eighth inning.
• The Cubs activated right-hander Marcus Stroman from the COVID-19 injured list.
• Three-time All-Star infielder Matt Carpenter was released by the Rangers from their Triple-A team, and became a free agent in a mutual decision because of the lack of opportunity with their bigleague team.
• Luke Jackson, sidelined for the season by Tommy John surgery, lost his salary arbitration hearing with the Braves. Jackson was awarded the team’s $3.6 million offer rather than his $4 million request by Robert Herzog, Richard Bloch and Scott Buchheit, who heard the case a day earlier.