The New York Mets were crushed in Milwaukee for a second straight night, as they fell to the Brewers on Tuesday by a score of 9-0. On Monday, the Mets lost to the Brewers by a count of 10-0.
Most notably, three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer was lit up in the second game of the series for back-to-back-to-back home runs in the home half of the sixth. In that frame, Rowdy Tellez, Brian Anderson, and Garrett Mitchell all went deep to push the Brewers' lead to 5-0. Here's a look at the third of that trio of homers:
For Scherzer, it was just the second time in his 16-year career that he's allowed three straight home runs. The first time was against the Diamondbacks in July of 2017 when he was the ace of the Washington Nationals. Milwaukee, meantime, hadn't hit back-to-back-to-back long balls since 2018.
Scherzer allowed five earned runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two. After allowing three earned in six innings in his Opening Day start against the Marlins, Schezer's ERA for the season now stands at 6.35. In related matters, Scherzer's go-to four-seam fastball is averaging just 93.1 mph this season, continuing a gradual velocity loss pattern that spans several years.
That's not unusual for a pitcher of Scherzer's age (38), who also has secondary offerings to compensate. The 2023 season thus far, though, has been a rough one. These struggles come after Scherzer was knocked around by the Padres in last year's Wild Card Series, which came after a disappointing final start of the 2022 regular season with the division title still hanging in the balance. The Mets could use vintage Scherzer right about now, what with injuries to Justin Verlander and José Quintana and Carlos Carrasco's having been battered in his first start of the season. Thus far, though, Scherzer has been anything but.
The Mets will vie to avoid the sweep on Wednesday, but they're now just 3-17 in their last 20 games in Milwaukee.
