Mets top Rockies behind Max Scherzer’s best start of the season

DENVER — Max Scherzer has accomplished a lot in his 16-year, Hall-of-Fame-worthy career, but one of the few things that eluded him was a win at Coors Field.

Scherzer (4-2) finally conquered that mountain Friday night in Denver, pitching the Mets (27-25) to a 5-2 win in the first game of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. It was a vintage performance from the right-hander, who went seven innings for the first time this season in the win — his first in Colorado in six tries.

“That’s a cool one,” Scherzer said.

Scherzer only allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out eight. He got 19 swings and misses and did not allow a walk, which was also a season-best mark. He attributed that to the pitch sequencing of catcher Francisco Alvarez and his ability to locate.

After a slow start to the season, a suspension and some nagging injuries, Scherzer is looking a lot more like his old self. It’s the healthiest he’s been since Opening Day and despite a blood blister giving him some issues in the seventh, he was able to pitch without pain.

“I’ve gotten a little experience pitching here now and understanding what you have to kind of do to be able to attack and be able to execute here,” Scherzer said. “I felt, coming in today, that I’ve had that experience and know how to pitch here. I knew what I needed to do. I knew how I needed to attack this lineup and how I needed to execute the pitches. For the most part, I was able to come out here and do that.”

Ryan McMahon led off the second inning with a home run and Scherzer didn’t allow another hit until the fifth. He had runners on the corners in the seventh but he got No. 9 hitter Ezequiel Tovar to pop up to the end inning.

“He had all of his pitches at his command,” said manager Buck Showalter.

The Mets’ top leaders keyed them to victory. Brandon Nimmo, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., who grew up coming to Rockies games and had about 100 people in attendance to see him, hit two triples for a new career and reached base five times, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three walks. Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a two-run home and Brett Baty went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Nimmo took a full-count slider from Brad Hand and drove it into center field for a standup triple in the ninth, allowing him to then score easily on a fly ball by Lindor. His second triple came with one out in the fifth. Lindor only needed a base knock to send him home.

“I don’t know if there’s something in the water or if I just enjoy playing here,” Nimmo said. “But I love that I’m doing well in front of [friends and family].”

Brett Baty later scored Lindor with an opposite-field single to put the Mets up 4-1. This lead was key for Scherzer.

“We go up 4-1, it allows me to still attack their hitters even at 3-2,” Scherzer said. “I don’t have to pitch on pins and needles. It just makes for a great team win when everybody has a hand in it.”

The Mets wasted no time in taking the lead with Lindor hitting his eighth home run of the season in the first inning off right-hander Connor Seabold (1-2) to put the Mets up 2-0.

Charlie Blackmon took David Robertson deep to start the eighth inning and give Colorado (22-30) some hope. But the Mets made it through an eventful top of the ninth thanks to Lindor getting a runner out at second on a heads-up play, and Adam Ottavino converted his fifth save to secure their seventh win in their last 10 games.

It was almost exactly how the Mets envisioned winning games when the start of this roller-coaster of a season began.

“We have gotten some momentum, for sure,” Lindor said. “It’s not as inconsistent as it was in the beginning. Max is healthy, (Justin) Verlander is healthy, the bullpen is healthy as well. We’re missing Diaz, but besides that everyone is healthy.

“The momentum is coming. It’s slowly getting here. When you have performances like the one Max had today, winning is a little easier.”

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