Mets rained out, setting up Scherzer-Verlander doubleheader on Sunday vs. Guardians
Mets pitchers Justin Verlander, left, and Max Scherzer, right, talk in the dugout in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers, Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
For the fourth time this month, the Mets will play a doubleheader on Sunday.
Saturday’s game against the Guardians was postponed because of rain. Instead, the clubs will complete the series with a pair of split-admission contests at Citi Field, with first pitches set for 1:40 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.
This doubleheader has the makings of a big-time pitchfest. Righthanded co-aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, in that order, will start for the Mets. Cleveland also will throw a pair of righties: rookie Tanner Bibee, who has a 3.22 ERA and 1.03 WHIP through four starts, in the first game and former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber in the second.
So far in May doubleheaders, the Mets split with Atlanta and Washington and were swept by Detroit.
Manager Buck Showalter often is quick to remind: Doubleheaders are a grind for any club, with ramifications for the bullpen specifically for sometimes the entire following week.
But the timing of this rainout and ensuing makeup isn’t as bad for the Mets, who would have been without primary closer David Robertson and perhaps setup man Adam Ottavino if Saturday’s game had been played. Robertson pitched each of the previous three days — his first time doing so since last June — and Ottavino had gone three out of four.
Now, with an impromptu day off Saturday and a scheduled day off Monday, the Mets should be able to get by OK on Sunday.
Still, they will need length from their starters, which hasn’t been a strength lately. Scherzer threw only 83 pitches in five innings in his most recent outing, so he probably will be at slightly less than full capacity this time. And Verlander lasted only five innings (allowing six runs) to the Rays on Tuesday.
Tickets for Saturday are good for the first game Sunday. The first 15,000 fans will receive what had been the Saturday giveaway, a Francisco Lindor grass-growing bobblehead.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
