Justin Verlander Dominates in Mets’ 4-1 Loss to Cardinals
Justin Verlander took the mound Wednesday afternoon at Clover Park as the Mets took on the St. Louis Cardinals. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner overmatched the Cardinals’ lineup for five innings, striking out eight batters while allowing just one hit. Despite Verlander’s brilliance and another home run from Tomás Nido, the Mets were defeated 4-1.
Despite a one-out error from Jose Peraza at second base, Verlander made quick work of the Cardinals’ hitters in the first inning. The right-hander struck out two batters in the frame, and Nido erased the lone baserunner when he threw Dylan Carlson out attempting to steal second to end the inning.
The Mets had a scare to start the second inning when Verlander was hit on the left calf by a line drive up the middle from Alec Burleson,but he remained in the game. Brandon Nimmo made a diving catch to rob Taylor Motter of a hit on Verlander’s next pitch, and the Mets’ starter followed up the stellar play by racking up strikeouts. He struck out Moisés Gómez to retire the side, then struck out the side in order in the third inning.
Justin Verlander strikes out the side in the 3rd pic.twitter.com/T8Ee47ePeE
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 15, 2023
In the fourth inning, Verlander struck out the Cardinals’ second best prospect Masyn Winn to bring his total up to five consecutive Ks. Carlson popped out to Ronny Mauricio at shortstop to break the strikeout streak, but despite putting the ball in play, the Cardinals were not able to get a baserunner in the inning as Verlander recorded another 1-2-3 frame.
The Cardinals finally broke into the hit column in the fifth inning when Burleson jumped on a hanging curveball for a double to the gap in right-center field, but Verlander was able to limit St. Louis to just the one hit. He retired the next three batters, including his eighth strikeout, to finish his five scoreless innings of work.
Going into the bottom of the fifth, the Mets had only recorded two singles from Mauricio and Peraza in the third. Nido, who has had a terrific spring with the bat, led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a home run to right field that barely got over Gomez’s glove to put the Mets ahead 1-0. The homer was Nido’s third of the spring, the same amount he had all of last season, and increased his batting average to .385 and slugging percentage to .808 over 26 at-bats.
Tomás Nido has two doubles and three home runs in 26 at-bats this spring.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 15, 2023
In the sixth inning, the Mets turned to Justin Courtney to relieve Verlander, and the Cardinals took advantage of the three-time Cy Young winner being out of the game. Kramer Robertson, Carlson and Juan Yepez all hit doubles in the inning off the Mets’ reliever to put St. Louis ahead 2-1.
After the Mets failed to cash in on two walks in the bottom of the sixth, the Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the seventh inning. Nolan Clenney was the next Met reliever to enter the game, and unlike Verlander in the first, he was not able to overcome a defensive miscue. Gomez hit a one-out infield single on a ground ball that Mauricio was slow to make a play on. The Cardinals followed with back-to-back singles to increase their lead to 3-1. With runners on the corners and still just one out, Brett Baty made an impressive sliding catch on a foul ball down the left field line, but with Baty off his feet and his back to the infield, Andrew Knizner tagged up and scored to make it a 4-1 game as Baty’s throw home was wild.
The Mets appeared to have a chance to put together a comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning. Lorenzo Cedrola started the inning with a walk before Baty singled for his team leading 12th hit of the spring to get the tying run to the plate with no outs. The rally ended just as quickly as it started for the Mets, as DJ Stewart struck out before Brad Malm grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Drew Smith, who, like many of the Mets’ MLB-level relievers, has had a strong spring, pitched a perfect ninth inning including two strikeouts. Despite the scoreless inning keeping the game within range, the Mets were unable to make a ninth inning comeback as the Cardinals finished off a 4-1 victory.
Player of the Game: Justin Verlander
When the Mets signed Verlander, this is the level of dominance they were hoping for from the future Hall-of-Famer. Over 11 1/3 spring innings, Verlander has pitched to a 1.59 ERA and 0.53 WHIP with 16 strikeouts. According to a report by Mike Puma of the New York Post, Verlander will pitch the home opener on April 6. Although Buck Showalter said a decision has not been made yet, Verlander pitching the first game at Citi Field would surely add an extra level of excitement for the home crowd.
On Deck
The Mets will travel to West Palm Beach on Thursday to take on the Washington Nationals at 6:05 p.m. ET. The Mets have not yet announced a starting pitcher for the game, but Kodai Senga said he expects to take the mound. Josiah Gray will start for the Nationals. The game will not be televised, but Mets fans can still follow the game on MLB Gameday on MLB.com.
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