Mets split doubleheader against Phillies, and Chris Bassitt is proving his long-term worth

A mixed bag of a doubleheader against in Philly, but the Mets won their eighth series of the year

Linda Surovich

May 09, 2022

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

The Mets’ split their doubleheader against the Phillies, dropping the first game 3-2 (box), and winning the second 6-1 to close the series (box)
With the win in the second game, the Mets still have yet to lose a series this season
The Mets are the first team to 20 wins in MLB this season
RHP Max Scherzer allowed three runs and 10 hits in seven innings in game one, losing for the first time in 343 days
Chris Bassitt had a strong outing in the team’s 6-1 win and lowered his ERA to 2.45 which leads the team
Pete Alonso blasted two home runs and drove in five in game two to give him seven homers for the season and 26 RBI, both of which lead the team

Roster Moves 📰

The Mets released INF Robinson Canó
RHP Adonis Medina was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, but was also the 27th player for the doubleheader on Sunday
RHP Stephen Nogosek was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

Who’s Hot🔥

Pete Alonso is hitting .357/.379/.750 with three home runs and eight RBI over the last seven days
Drew Smith put in another scoreless appearance and struck out one against the Phillies - He has yet to give up a run in his twelve innings of work this season
Chasen Shreve was perfect in over an inning over work. He struck out two and his ERA now sits at 1.54 for the year

Today’s Game 🗓

The Mets are off on Monday. They open a three-game series against the Nationals in Washington DC on Tuesday night.

Chris Bassitt could be a risk worth taking for the long-term 📝

On a day where Max Scherzer also took the ball, it was Chris Bassitt coming away as the standout pitcher of the day.

Chris Bassitt was the winner in the second game of the doubleheader, after pitching a little less than six solid innings against a tough Philadelphia lineup. He pitched 5.2 innings and struck out four that lowered his ERA to 2.45 which leads the team, including Scherzer.

Scherzer of course grabbed all the headlines in the off-season, and when Bassitt being acquired late in the offseason the move, he flew a bit under the radar. With Scherzer and Jacob deGrom leading the top of the rotation, the plan was to shore up the rest of the rotation after the tumultuous second half of the previous season when the Mets literally ran out of pitchers in early July.

Then deGrom was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right shoulder before a single competitive pitch was thrown in 2022, putting him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. The dominant top of the rotation now looked less steady and the rest were gambles hoping for upsides.

But the one who was never in doubt, however was Bassitt.

Since 2020, Bassitt has the fourth lowest ERA in the league and he had a great career in Oakland before coming over in a trade. With deGrom out, Bassitt’s role has become amplified and he has admirably done his job.

“When they traded for me, I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do,” Bassitt explained after Sunday’s doubleheader. “I’m doing what I’ve done for the last couple of years. Not trying to make anything bigger than it should be.”

While his ERA is impressive, his WHIP is below 1.00 which is the lowest of his career. He has brought stability to a potentially volatile rotation which should only get better when their ace returns.

Bassitt’s full arsenal of fastballs and off-speed pitches has limited the number of hard hit balls against him. He’s a finesse pitcher in an era full of power arms and high octane velocity - his slider and cut fastball are elite but the six pitches he will throw in any count at any time makes him hard to decipher and keeps hitters off-balanced from pitch-to-pitch.

“He’s got a lot of weapons,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said after the win in game 2. “If you’re catching him, you better know that he’s going to use all of them from different angles. He gives you a lot of different looks.”

Last week, Bassitt reportedly said he is open to signing an extension with the team, and given his current performance the Mets should seriously consider it, especially since there are not a whole lot of arms in the pipeline. The one issue is his age - he is 33-years-old and the Mets rotation is already on the older side where injuries and diminishment could always be a risk, but so far, Bassitt has shown them that is a risk worth taking.

Down on the Farm 🌾

Mark Vientos (3B/OF, No. 4 Prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-3, HR, 4 RBIs
Brett Baty (3B/OF, No. 2 Prospect, Double-A): 1-for-4
Alex Ramirez (OF, No. 6 Prospect, Single-A): 2-for-4, triple, 2 RBIs

Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | High-A | Single-A

Around the League 🚩

It was a wild day around the league with the Angels, Yankees, Padres and Mariners picking up walk-off wins
The Cubs placed Marcus Stroman on the injured list with a non-specified injury before he was scheduled to start
The Phillies placed both Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin on the COVID-19 injured list
Red Sox LHP Chris Sale suffered a setback in his recovery from a fractured rib
OF Gerardo Parra retired after 12 big league seasons
Reds RHP Luis Castillo will make his 2022 debut for the lowly Reds on Monday
Recently acquired RHP Chris Paddack left his start with the Twins on Sunday with elbow inflammation