The Mets defeated the Brewers 7-2 in Milwaukee on Monday night to clinch a playoff spot, assuring that 2022 will be the 10th time in their 61-year history that they will appear in the postseason -- and the first time since 2016.
Meanwhile, they remained one game ahead in the NL East race as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Washington Nationals, 5-2 -- though the Mets and Braves are even in the loss column, each with 55.
Here are the top takeaways from the win
1. Max Scherzer was brilliant in his first start back from the IL, throwing six perfect innings. He threw 68 pitches and was on a restricted pitch count as the Mets want to be careful not to push him too quickly as he returns from the problem with his side, a milder version of the oblique injury that cost him a month on the IL earlier this season.
Scherzer looked very strong, perhaps partly because of the downtime. His fastball had late life and his cutter had the late movement it has when it’s especially effective.
For that matter, the three-time Cy Young winner was masterful in using all of his pitches: Of his nine strikeouts, he got four with the fastball, two with the cutter, two with the changeup, and one with a 77-mph curve ball.
So on his fourth try, Scherzer earned the 200th win of his career, giving him a record of 200-101 in 15 seasons in the majors.
2. Pete Alonso led the way offensively, hitting a three-run home run to give the Mets a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. It was his 36th home run of the season and the three RBI gave him 118, the most in the National League and second only to Aaron Judge (127) in the majors.
More surprisingly, Alonso stole second after a walk in the seventh inning, his fifth steal of the season, and it proved important, allowing him to score on a two-out single by Tyler Naquin, pushing the Mets’ lead to 6-2 right after the Brewers had cut into the Mets’ 5-0 lead.
Francisco Lindor chipped in with a 2-for-4 night that included a triple and his 95th RBI, putting him two behind Trea Turner for most among MLB shortstops.
3. Corbin Burnes had pretty much owned the Mets the last couple of years, but on Monday night that all changed as the visiting team got to the 2021 Cy Young winner early and knocked him out of the game in the sixth inning.
Overall Burnes hasn’t been as dominant as last season, especially since the All-Star break when he has gone 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 11 starts. He has been vulnerable to the long ball and it haunted him again on Monday as Alonso’s three-run shot broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning.
The home run was the 23rd that Burnes had given up this season, compared to seven all of last season.
In all, Burnes gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings, as his ERA rose to 3.12. In three previous starts over last two seasons against the Mets, Burnes had gone 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA.
4. The Tylor Megill bullpen experiment didn’t get off to a roaring start. Making his first relief appearance of the season as he comes back from a shoulder injury that kept him out three months, Megill gave up a double to Christian Yelich and a two-run home run to Rowdy Tellez on a hanging slider.
But Megill also flashed the quality stuff that made him successful as a starter before the injury. He got two routine fly balls on 96-mph fastballs and struck out Willy Adames swinging at a good changeup.
It remains to be seen exactly how Megill will be used but he’s got the stuff to be a big factor in the late innings before too long. Buck Showalter was smart to get him into game with a 5-0 cushion for his first time out of the pen this season.