Trevor Williams spot on for Mets in win over Marlins
Mets starting pitcher Trevor Williams delivers against the Marlins during the first inning of an MLB game at Citi Field on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jacob deGrom is making his second rehab start 30 minutes from his Florida home on Friday night.
Back at Citi Field, Chris Bassitt will return on Friday from what he thinks was an unnecessary trip to the COVID-19 list to start against Miami. Max Scherzer will make his second start since returning from an oblique injury on Monday at Atlanta.
The top of the Mets’ rotation seems to be rounding into form. But somebody else has to start some games until the rotation is whole.
Trevor Williams was that somebody else on Thursday night against the Marlins. And boy, did Williams do his best deGrom/Scherzer impersonation in the Mets’ 10-0 victory.
Williams allowed two hits and pitched to one batter over the minimum in a seven-inning, 83-pitch stint. Williams (2-5) didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven.
“He was in control from pitch No. 1,” catcher James McCann said.
It certainly helped Williams that No. 8 hitter J.D Davis had a career day, with a single, double, first career grand slam and five RBIs. And it also helped that No. 9 hitter McCann hit a three-run homer as the Mets took a 10-0 lead after five innings.
With Bassitt coming back and deGrom around the corner, Williams isn’t assured of getting too many more starts.
“Look, I’m proud to be a New York Met in any capacity,” Williams said. “When I get the ball, it’s the most important thing for me, and whether that’s starting or relieving or anywhere in-between, I’m proud that I’m able to contribute for the guys in this clubhouse and for the fans.”
Williams, who had a 5.86 ERA in seven starts coming in, allowed only a third-inning double to Miguel Rojas and a seventh-inning single to Jesus Aguilar.
Rojas could have been thrown out at second, but Starling Marte’s throw from right was wild and couldn’t be snared by Francisco Lindor.
Marte got another chance in the seventh. With two outs, Aguilar dunked a hit just out of the reach of a diving Jeff McNeil in short rightfield. Down 10 runs, Aguilar decided going for a double would be a good idea. Marte threw him out with Lindor making the tag.
Earlier, in the fifth, Brandon Nimmo made a “spectacular” and “incredible” (Williams’ words) leaping catch on the warning track in center to rob Jesus Sanchez of an extra-base hit. Sanchez raised his batting helmet to salute Nimmo for the highlight-reel worthy grab.
“That’s as good as catch as you want to see,” manager Buck Showalter said. “What’s the catch probability on that one?”
Told that the hit probability was 87 percent, Showalter said: “Oh, they’re underrating that one. How about 99?”
The Mets took their hefty lead thanks to a two-run third inning (RBI single by Nimmo, run-scoring throwing error by Rojas) and a four-run fourth (RBI single by Davis, three-run home run by McCann) against lefthander Daniel Castano (1-2), and Davis’ fifth-inning grand slam off righthander Jimmy Yacabonis.
“I was pretty excited about my first grand slam,” said Davis, who didn’t recall ever hitting one in the minors, but thinks he did in college.
With a chance for the cycle, mighty Davis struck out in the seventh. Davis has two career triples.
“I’m only good for one a year – that’s it,” Davis laughed.
As for deGrom, the plan is for him to throw more than the 24 pitches he fired in his first rehab outing on Sunday. DeGrom struck out five of the six batters he faced and threw seven pitches at 100 miles per hour or better.
“I think I’d rather be asked the question, ‘Is he throwing too hard?’ – answer that one – than, ‘Is he throwing too soft?’ “ Showalter said. “Are you worried about his . . . I mean, where does it end? What’s the perfect velocity we would like to see? ‘Jake, we want you to throw 96.7 miles per hour, OK?’ That’s the perfect one. I don’t have that chart. Would it be good this time for him not to throw as hard? It’s all going to get answered if and when – not if, but when – he gets here.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
