NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Bell and Manny Machado smashed two of San Diego’s 4 house runs off Max Scherzer, and the Padres romped previous the New York Mets 7-1 on Friday evening in their playoff opener.
Yu Darvish close down the Mets as soon as once more, and San Diego additionally were given lengthy balls from leadoff batter Jurickson Profar and slumping Trent Grisham towards an useless Scherzer — booed off the mound in the 5th inning at Citi Field.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner exited his first postseason get started for New York down 7-0, a large sadness after Scherzer was once signed to a $130 million contract in December to pitch giant video games for his new workforce.
“Baseball can take you to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and this is one of the lowest of lows,” Scherzer stated.
San Diego wishes one win over the following two days to take the best-of-three National League wild-card sequence and advance to stand the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers.
Blake Snell begins Saturday evening in Game 2 towards scuffling Mets ace Jacob deGrom.
After profitable 101 video games right through the steady season, second-most in franchise historical past, the Mets are dealing with removal at house after falling flat ahead of a sellout crowd of 41,621 in their first playoff sport since 2016.
“It’s reality,” supervisor Buck Showalter stated. “It’s an opportunity, and we’ll get one tomorrow, to right the ship.”
Eduardo Escobar homered and doubled off Darvish, who has gained all 3 of his begins towards New York this yr with a nil.86 ERA.
The megastar right-hander from Japan, coming off a 16-win season, was once the NL pitcher of the month for September and collected appropriate the place he left off. He wriggled out of bother early when the sport was once nonetheless aggressive after which settled in to throw seven innings of six-hit ball with out a stroll.
Darvish is 5-0 with a 2.56 ERA in 8 occupation regular-season begins towards the Mets, together with 3-0 at Citi Field.
The 38-year-old Scherzer additionally misplaced a crucial sport ultimate weekend in Atlanta, giving up 9 hits — together with two homers — and 4 runs over 5 2/3 innings. He ignored about 9 weeks this season right through two stints at the injured record with left indirect accidents, however completed 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA and stated Thursday he was once absolutely wholesome.
Scherzer had little snap on his pitches, regardless that, and the Padres took merit. Bell introduced a two-run homer in the primary in his preliminary postseason plate look for his first house run since Sept. 6.
Grisham, batting 8th after hitting .107 from Sept. 1 on, attached for a solo shot in the second one. Profar made it 6-0 with a three-run force in the 5th, and Machado despatched a laser over the left-field fence two batters later.
“My fastball was running on me,” Scherzer stated.
It was once the fourth time Scherzer allowed 4 house runs in a sport, his occupation top.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Darvish was once visited at the mound through supervisor Bob Melvin and an athletic instructor following Escobar’s double in the 7th, however stayed in the sport. … After no longer feeling neatly the previous few days, RHP Mike Clevinger was once left off the sequence roster in want of including LHP Sean Manaea to the bullpen as a substitute. Clevinger took a overdue flight Thursday to New York, break away the workforce, following a unfavorable COVID-19 take a look at. “I feel he’s feeling a bit of higher now,” Melvin stated Friday. “I felt like another lefty with a little length down there was important.”
Mets: All-Star RF Starling Marte batted 6th in his first sport again from a damaged heart finger on his appropriate (throwing) hand. He was once injured Sept. 6 when he was once hit through a pitch in Pittsburgh. With his heart finger wrapped, Marte gained a noisy ovation right through pregame introductions. He grounded a unmarried up the center main off the second one after which stole moment and 3rd — sliding headfirst into each bases.
UP NEXT
Snell (8-10, 3.38 ERA) has a 2.53 ERA in his previous 17 begins, permitting one run or fewer in 13 of them. The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner was once 1-1 in two outings towards the Mets this season.
Meanwhile, deGrom (5-4, 3.08) is 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in his ultimate 4 begins.
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