NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets were blanked by the Brewers, 10-0 yesterday…It was the team’s first shut out loss of the season…The Mets continue their first road trip of the year, a seven-game trip to Miami (3-1) and Milwaukee (0-1)…Following this series, the Mets head to New York…The team will host the Marlins (three games) and Padres (three games).
BORN ON THIS DAY: GIl Hodges was born on this day in 1924…He managed the Miracle Mets to their first World Series Championship in 1969…Hodges was an eight-time All-Star with the Brooklyn Dodgers… An original Met, he hit the first home run in team history…His 14 was the second Mets number to be retired (1973).
MAX EFFORT: Max Scherzer last started in Milwaukee on September 19, 2022, making his return from the Injured List…On that day, he pitched New York into the playoffs, helping the Mets clinch their first Postseason berth since 2016…He threw 6.0 perfect innings, racking up nine strikeouts…The Mets won that contest, 7-2…It was Scherzer’s 200th career win…The right-handed pitcher has appeared in seven games (six starts) at the home of the Crew and is 1-2 with a 2.31 ERA (10 ER/39.0 IP) with eight walks and 55 strikeouts…Over his career, Scherzer is 3-3 with a 2.14 ERA (15 ER/63.0 IP) with 17 walks and 86 strikeouts in 11 games (10 starts) against Milwaukee.
Rank Player Strikeouts
- Greg Maddux 3,371
- Phil Niekro 3,342
- Max Scherzer 3,199
- Justin Verlander 3,198
- Fergie Jenkins 3192
Rank Player Strikeouts
- Pedro Martinez 3,154
- Bob Gibson 3,117
- Curt Schilling 3,116
- CC Sabathia 3,093
- John Smoltz 3,084
MOST STRIKEOUTS, ALL-TIME (NO. 10-19)
DOUBLE THE FUN: Scherzer ranks tied for third all-time with 110 double-digit strikeout games in his career, two more than Pedro Martinez…His next 10+ K game will break a tie with Roger Clemens, who also had 110 in his career…He’ll then need over 100 more to catch the top two: Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (212).
THE LEFT OF US: Brandon Nimmo hit .264/.358/.428 with 24 walks and and a .786 OPS in 234 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers last season…Since 2022, his 21 extra-base hits as a lefty against lefthanded pitchers is tied for the third most in the majors.
SINCE 2022 – MOST XBH BY LEFTY AGAINST LHP PLAYER TEAM EXTRA-BASE HITS
Yordan Alvarez Astros 24
Corey Seager Rangers 22
Brandon Nimmo Mets 21
Shohei Ohtani Angels 21
Kyle Tucker Astros 21
OMAR’S COMING YO!: In three games with the Mets, Omar Narváez is 3-10 with a run, two RBI and a walk…In December, the Mets signed catcher Narváez to a one-year contract with a player option for 2024… The backstop played 247 games for the Brewers from 2020-22.
WALKING THE WALK: The Mets rank third in the majors in walk rate, drawing a base on balls in 13 percent of their plate appearances so far this season…Milwaukee leads the majors in that category, drawing walks at a 14.6 percent clip…Three Mets rank in the top 10 in the NL in walks: Brandon Nimmo (six, second), Francisco Lindor (five, tied for third) and Pete Alonso (four, tied for seventh).
CANHA GET AN AMEN?: Mark Canha went 0-6 with a walk and was hit by pitch in his first two games…Over the last two contests, Canha is 4-11 with three runs, a double, a home run, two RBI and two walks… He is in his second year with the Mets and has hit .265/.368/.405 with 74 runs, 25 doubles, 14 home runs, 63 RBI and 51 walks in 145 games with the club.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: The Mets play their lone series at American Family Field this year…In 28 career games at the yard, Tommy Pham is a .317/.375/.663 hitter with 20 runs, seven doubles, two triple, eight home runs, 19 RBI and nine walks…Starling Marte has hit .298/.339/.500 with 27 runs, 12 doubles, two triple, eight home runs, 25 RBI and 6 walks in 52 career games in MKE…Francisco Lindor has hit .286/.348/.738 with nine runs, two doubles, one triple, five home runs and 10 RBI in 11 career games at the yard…Daniel Vogelbach, who played for Milwaukee, has hit 11 home runs in 162 games at the ballpark, and has posted a .500 SLG at the yard.
ONLY A FEW CAN COM-PETE: Pete Alonso set a franchise single-season RBI record with 131 last year…His 131 RBI were tied for the major league lead and led the National League…Only once before in franchise history has a Met finished the season with the most or tied for the most RBI…Howard Johnson recorded a career-best 117 RBI in 1991 to lead the National League…He had 27 game-winning RBI season, the most since the stat was first tracked in 1974…His 35 go-ahead RBI were tied for the second-most in a single season in Mets history…Keith Hernandez had 36 go-ahead RBI in 1985.
Rank Player HR GAMES
5th Dave Kingman 154 664
6th Carlos Beltrán 149 839
7th Pete Alonso 147 535
Rank Player RBI GAMES
15thMichael Conforto 396 757
16th Dave Kingman 389 664
17th Pete Alonso 381 535
METS ALL-TIME LEADERS
HITTING THE ROAD: New York is 3-2 on the road his year…The team finished the 2022 season going 47-34 on the road…Their .580 road winning percentage placed them third in the majors and second in the NL…It was tied for the fourth-best road record in team history and the highest road-winning percentage since 2007…Overall, they hit .265/.334/.424 away from Citi Field…Their .265 road average was second in the majors and the best in the NL, while their .334 OBP led The Show… They ranked fourth in MLB and second in the Senior Circuit with a .424 SLG…Brandon Nimmo (.406), Jeff McNeil (.399) and Mark Canha (.378) Ranked three through five in road OBP in the National League.
LUIS, LUIS: Luis Guillorme made his third career pitching appearance yesterday…He tossed a scoreless inning, allowing only one hit…He lowered his career ERA to 6.00 (2 ER/3.0 IP)…At the plate, Guillorme went 2-4.
TO THE SOUND OF DENNIS SANTANA: Yesterday, Dennis Santana tossed a scoreless inning, allowing two walks and striking out one… He has yet to allow a hit in three appearances this season, walking two and striking out five in 2.2 innings….Santana was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on March 17…He has struck out 133 in 141.2 career innings.
TODAY’S STARTER – MAX SCHERZER RHP #21
SCHERZER’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 47% 50% 46% 93.1 mph
Slider 31% 9% 38% 84.1 mph
Changeup 11% 18% 9% 83.0 mph
Curveball 9% 18% 6% 74.3 mph
Cutter 2% 5% 1% 87.5 mph
SCHERZER NEWS & NOTES
OPENING UP: In his last start, March 30 at Miami, Scherzer made his seventh career Opening Day start…Earned the victory as the Mets downed the Marlins, 5-3…Tossed 6.0 innings and allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and six punchouts…All three runs scored in the sixth inning after Scherzer tossed 5.0 scoreless frames to begin his day…Scherzer exited with the score tied, 3-3, then the Mets rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh to leave him in line for career victory No. 202…He improved to 2-3 in season openers and has a 2.96 ERA (15 ER/45.2 IP) in those games…He became the first pitcher ever to start both for and against the Mets on Opening Day…Madison Bumgarner (Arizona) is the only other active pitcher who has started for and against the same team on Opening Day in his career.
COLD BREW: Scherzer has made seven appearances (six starts) in Milwaukee…He owns a 2.31 career ERA (10 ER/39.0 IP) at American Family Field…As a starter, he is 2-1 with a 1.66 ERA (8 ER/38.0 IP) at this ballpark with 54 strikeouts and just eight walks…Overall in his career against the Brewers, he is 3-3 with a 2.14 ERA (15 ER/63.0 IP), 86 strikeouts and 17 walks…He has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last six starts against the club, posting a 1.54 EAR (6 ER/35.0 IP) in that stretch.
HAPPY MEMORIES HERE: Scherzer made his return from the Injured List here in Milwaukee on September 19 last season…On that day, he pitched New York into the postseason, helping the Mets clinch their first playoff berth since 2016…He threw 6.0 perfect innings, racking up nine strikeouts…The Mets won that contest, 7-2…It was Scherzer’s 200th career win.
DOUBLE THE FUN: Scherzer ranks tied for third all-time with 110 double-digit strikeout games in his career, two more than Pedro Martinez…His next 10+ K game will break a tie with Roger Clemens, who also had 110 in his career…He’ll then need over 100 more to catch the top two: Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (212).
LEGENDARY: Scherzer and Justin Verlander swapped places on the all-time strikeouts leaderboard all season long in 2022…Now teammates in 2023, the pair are neck and neck, with just one punchout separating the two…Scherzer passed Verlander in his last start…With 172 more strikeouts this season, Scherzer can enter the top-10…Scherzer now ranks 12th all-time, having passed all-time greats Fergie Jenkins, Pedro Martinez, Bob Gibson, Curt Schilling, CC Sabathia and John Smoltz last season…See below for a chart of the No. 10-19 strikeout pitchers of all-time:
QUITE THE DEBUT: After signing a three-year deal with New York last offseason, Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA (37 ER/145.1 IP) in his first season with the Mets…That is the lowest mark in a season in his career and the best all-time in a pitcher’s first season with the Mets (min. 140.0 innings)…His 0.91 WHIP was not just the best mark by a Met in his first season with the club, it was the best by any Met in club history (min. 140.0 innings)…Scherzer did not allow more than four runs in any of his 23 regular-season starts last season.
2022 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Won his Mets debut on April 8 in Washington against his former team…Tossed 7.0 one-hit innings, allowing just one run while racking up 10 strikeouts in his Mets home debut vs. San Francisco on April 19…Threw 7.0 shutout frames, punched out 10 and allowed only two hits in his hometown at the Cardinals on April 25, setting the stage for New York’s five-run, ninth-inning comeback rally…Threw 6.0 scoreless innings and struck out a season-high 11 batters in his return from the IL on July 5 at Cincinnati…Blanked the Yankees over 7.0 innings on his 38th birthday, July 27, in a 3-2 Subway Series victory at Citi Field… Defeated Atlanta three times over an eight-start stretch (July 11, August 6 and August 17)… Earned his 200th career victory in the Mets’ playoff-clinching win at Milwaukee on September 19, throwing 6.0 perfect innings in his first start after a two-week stay on the IL.
ALWAYS IMPROVING: Scherzer set a career-best mark with a 2.29 ERA last season after posting what was then a career-best 2.46 ERA in 2021…No other pitcher since 1913 has thrown 130.0 or more innings and posted an ERA below 2.50 in both his age 36 and age 37 seasons…Only five pitchers have done that twice at any point after turning 36: Hoyt Wilhelm (three times – 1959, 1964-65), Eddie Plank (three times – 1915-17), Randy Johnson (2001-02), Dennis Martinez (1991-92) and Babe Adams (1919-20).
MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 2 (1-0) of a 6-game, 7-day homestand against New York-NL (1-0) and St. Louis (3g)…..following this homestand, the team takes a 10-game road trip to Arizona (3g), San Diego (4g) and Seattle (3g).
CURRENT ROSTER (bold indicates not on Opening Day roster):
PITCHERS (13) – RH Corbin Burnes, RH Matt Bush, RH Javy Guerra, LH Eric Lauer, LH Wade Miley, LH Hoby Milner, RH Joel Payamps, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Peter Strzelecki, RH Gus Varland, RH Devin Williams, RH Bryse Wilson, RH Brandon Woodruff
CATCHERS (2) – Victor Caratini, William Contreras
INFIELDERS (7) – Willy Adames, Brian Anderson, Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller, Rowdy Tellez, Brice Turang, Luke Voit
OUTFIELDERS (4) – Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer, Jesse Winker, Christian Yelich
OPENING DAY ROSTER (bold indicates not on current roster):
PITCHERS (13) – RH Corbin Burnes, RH Matt Bush, RH Javy Guerra, LH Eric Lauer, LH Wade Miley, LH Hoby Milner, RH Joel Payamps, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Peter Strzelecki, RH Gus Varland, RH Devin Williams, RH Bryse Wilson, RH Brandon Woodruff
CATCHERS (2) – Victor Caratini, William Contreras
INFIELDERS (8) – Willy Adames, Brian Anderson, Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller, Rowdy Tellez, Brice Turang, Luis Urías, Luke Voit
OUTFIELDERS (3) – Garrett Mitchell, Jesse Winker, Christian Yelich
IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP Adrian Houser (right groin), OF Tyrone Taylor (right elbow), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring) and LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) are on the injured list….. Alexander and Wilson are on the 60-day IL.
THE NEW BREW: INF/OF Brian Anderson (free agent), C William Contreras (trade with ATL), RHP Javy Guerra (trade with TB), LHP Wade Miley (free agent), INF/OF Owen Miller (trade with CLE), RHP Joel Payamps (trade with OAK), RHP Gus Varland (Rule 5 Draft from LAD), 1B Luke Voit (free agent), RHP Bryse Wilson (trade with PIT) and OF Jesse Winker (trade with SEA).
BREWERS vs. METS
SUMMARY: Are 76-84 all-time, including 1-0 this season…..went 2-4 last season.
at MIL: Are 39-40 all-time, going 37-30 at American Family Field and 2-10 at County Stadium…..are 1-0 this season…..went 1-2 last season and are 16-3 over their last 19 games in Milwaukee.
at NY: Are 37-44 all-time, going 21-20 at Citi Field and 16-24 at Shea Stadium…..went 1-2 last season.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: #20 – LHP WADE MILEY (9g, 8gs, 2-2, 3.16 in 2022)
MILEY AT A GLANCE: Wade Miley, 36, went 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 9 games/8 starts with Chicago-NL last season…..he missed most of the season while spending time on the injured list on three occasions: 4/7-5/9 (left elbow inflammation), 5/29-6/9 (left shoulder strain) and 6/11-9/5 (left shoulder strain)…..he signed as a free agent with Milwaukee on 1/9/23…..he is signed through the 2023 season with a mutual option for 2024.
WELCOME BACK!: Miley returns to Milwaukee, where he pitched in 2018 for the National League Central champions and went 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 16 starts…..he went on to make 4 starts during the postseason, posting a 1.23 ERA (14.2ip, 2er), as the team went on to advance to the seventh game of the NLCS against Los Angeles.
THE CENTURY MARK: Miley needs 1 win for 100 in his Major League career.
CAREER: Is 99-94 with a 4.13 ERA in 292 games/285 starts (1618ip, 742er)…..is in his 13th Major League season with Arizona (2011-14), Boston (2015), Seattle (2016), Baltimore (2016-17), Milwaukee (2018, ‘23), Houston (2019), Cincinnati (2020-21) and Chicago-NL (2022)…..he was an All-Star with the Diamondbacks in 2012…..he threw a no-hitter with the Reds on 5/7/21 at Cleveland…..Miley was selected by Arizona in the supplemental first round (43rd overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University.
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 4-2 with a 4.19 ERA in 12 starts (53.2ip, 25er)…..his last outing in Milwaukee came with the Reds on 7/9/21 as he earned a 2-0 victory (8ip, 7h, 3bb, 4k)…..CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 48-50 with a 4.00 ERA in 155 games/153 starts (863.1ip, 384er)…..went 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 4 starts last season (13ip, 7er).
CAREER vs. METS: Is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 6 starts (36.1ip, 15er)…..his last start against New York came with the Reds on 7/31/21 at Citi Field…..he received no decision in the 5-4, 10-inning loss (7ip, 4h, 3r, 3er, 3bb, 2k, 1hr).
