Christian Scott dazzles in debut, but Mets lose again in Tampa

The Mets lose for the 9th time in their last 13 games. Plus, a breakdown of Christian Scott's masterful big league debut.

Rich MacLeod

May 05, 2024

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

The Mets offense browned out on Saturday night, falling to the Rays 3-1 (box)
RHP Christian Scott was stellar in his major league debut, allowing just one run with six strikeouts over 6.2 innings pitched
Scott generated 18 swings-and-misses in his debut – the most any Mets pitcher in a game this season
With two outs in a tie game in the 8th inning, Adam Ottavino and Sean Reid-Foley combined to issue back-to-back bases loaded walks to give the Rays the lead
1B Pete Alonso suffered yet another 0-for at the plate, and is now 2-for-his-last-31 (.064) with 10 strikeouts
2B Jeff McNeil went 0-for-3 and is now hitting .171 over his last nine games and has a .636 OPS overall this season
RF Starling Marte went 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in the club’s only run in a losing effort
New York is now 4-9 over their last 13 games and has fallen under .500 for the first time since April 14th

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Roster Moves 🗞️

Selected the contract of RHP Christian Scott from Triple-A Syracuse
Recalled RHP Cole Sulser from Triple-A Syracuse
Optioned LHP Danny Young to Triple-A Syracuse
Optioned RHP Dedinel Núñez to Triple-A Syracuse

Down on the Farm 🌾

RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 10 prospect, Double-A): 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K (win)
SS Luisangel Acuña (No. 3 prospect, Triple-A): .214/.264/.333 in 28 games

Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (16-17) vs. Rays (16-18)

Where: Tropicana Field — St. Petersburg, FL

Starters: RHP Luis Severino (2-2, 2.31 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Pepiot (3-2, 3.12 ERA)

When: 1:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

Christian Scott’s sterling debut, a GIF breakdown ✍️

It may have been a disappointing loss for the Mets – who are mired in a rough patch of their early season – but boy was there a lot to be hopeful about on Saturday night.

Making his highly anticipated major league debut, Christian Scott delivered above and beyond what even the most optimistic of fans could have hoped to see. For a franchise with a pitching rich history such as this one, the Mets have been in a dry spell when it comes to home grown arms over the last several years. If you ask me, Scott – the club’s number one pitching prospect – is the first big-time starting pitcher to graduate from New York’s farm system since Steven Matz, the last of the “Five Aces,” who made his debut in June of the 2015 season.

And, other than his prowess with the bat, Scott’s debut was pretty reminiscent of Matz’s first start in the big leagues. Much like Matz, it took Scott a moment to shake off the nerves and settle in.

In 2015, Matz allowed a home run to the first batter that he saw, while last night it took Scott until his fourth batter to record his first major league out. After three hits and a run to start his big league career, Scott did what he’s become known for best in the minor leagues and blew a fastball by Randy Arozarena for the first out of his career.

“His ball is exploding,” former Mets nemesis Adam Wainwright said on the FOX telecast. “You can hear the ball spinning out of his hand. He’s got some real life on that fastball.”

Following his first out, Scott – who, like Zack Wheeler, donned No. 45 on his uniform – really got some momentum rolling as he retired 11 consecutive batters and began to show off the pitch arsenal that has made fans, scouts, and this front office drool over the last year. Scott averaged 95.4 miles per hour on his fastball – a slight tick up from his numbers in Triple-A this season – and had a 36.4 whiff percentage on his heater.

What really stood out, however, was his breaking pitchers which looked absolutely unhittable at times on Saturday night vs the Rays.

Scott threw his sweeper 28 times in his debut, generating whiffs 35.3 percent of the time. In addition, Scott threw 17 sliders where he got batters to whiff a whopping 44.4 percent of the time. The right-hander does have a splitter, as well, though he only threw the pitch eight times and record zero swings-and-misses on it.

Overall, Scott generated 18 swings-and-misses in his debut last night, more than any other Mets pitcher has gotten in an appearance this season.

Another thing the Mets young starter has become known for over his time in the minor leagues has been his excellent command. Similar to how a young Noah Syndgergaard profiled when he was in the minors, Scott has a unique trait of balancing his brand of power pitching with a keen ability to throw strikes and limit bases on balls. In 25.1 innings pitched in Triple-A Syracuse this season, Scott struck out 36 batters while issuing just six walks.

That rare ability was on full display at the big league level, at least for one start, as Scott threw 71.2 percent of his pitches for strikes last night, and issued just one walk.

“I was super-comfortable out there,” Scott told reporters after the game. “I really trusted my stuff and pounded the strike zone.”

One question surrounding Scott’s ability to graduate to the major leagues had been his ability to work deeper into games, which was something he hadn’t done until his most recent two starts in Triple-A. Last night in Tampa, Scott continued that improvement in his overall game as he was economical with his pitches and became just the third Mets starting pitcher to work into the 7th inning this season.

On the whole, it was a remarkably impressive debut for Scott who allowed one run on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 6.2 innings pitched. The right-hander also did not allow a home run in the start, something he had struggled with in Triple-A Syracuse (six home runs in 25.1 innings) to start the year. And though Scott’s debut was cursed by a futile effort by the Mets offense – Jacob deGrom can certainly sympathize with that – it was truly an exciting night for the future of this franchise.

Scott’s rise up the Mets minor league ranks over the past calendar year has been an incredible thing to witness, going from an unranked prospect at the start of 2023 to the most prized arm in their farm system as things stand today. If Scott continues to show the traits that tantalized us all in his debut last night, he could be ushering in a new era of exciting young pitching for the New York Mets much like Matt Harvey did before him. With Scott now here and arms like Blade Tidwell, Mike Vasil and Brandon Sproat developing behind him, a new era is moving closer for this organization. It’s just one start, but Scott has the stuff, the build, the intangibles and, it appears, the attitude to be a top flight starter in this town for years to come.

When asked if he had any jitters prior to his major league debut, Scott told reporters: “Honestly no … I slept like a baby.”

Around the League 🚩

The Twins defeated the Red Sox, 3-1, for their 12th consecutive win – their longest winning streak since the 1991 season
Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani clubbed his 8th home run of the season in the club’s victory over the Braves in Los Angeles
Yankees OF Aaron Judge was ejected for the first time in his career, but the Bombers held on for a 5-3 win over the Tigers
The A’s decimated the Marlins in Oakland, scoring 20 runs on 21 hits and six home runs in a blowout victory
Pirates RHP Jared Jones allowed just one base runner over seven shutout innings as Jack Suwinski delivered a walk-off single vs the Rockies for a 1-0 win