ST. LOUIS — The Mets are the first team in MLB to reach 12 wins. They entered Monday leading the National League East by a four-game advantage. They’ve won each of their first five series to begin the season, matching a franchise record. This week in the Midwest, the Mets will look to win their sixth straight series to open the year for the first time in team history.
Yet, despite their winning ways, the Mets are trying not to get carried away with that momentum. Instead, players are keeping their heads down and approaching their strong start to the year with a still-hungry mindset. After all, it’s only April. No one understands that better than veteran players, like Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, Starling Marte, Chris Bassitt, and other established players on the roster.
The first-place Mets are looking for ways they can improve.
“It’s easier for us to focus on getting better and improving and not trying to focus on the highs right now,” said Dominic Smith on Monday at Busch Stadium. “And that starts with Buck.”
Smith is certainly not the first player to attribute the Amazin’s revamped attitude to their manager, Buck Showalter. The veteran skipper has instilled a work ethic in the Mets that both new and experienced players find refreshing. Showalter ensures the Mets focus on the basics, the foundation of the game, rather than becoming enamored with statistics, leaderboards, or just going through the motions.
While fans may take pleasure in the club leading the majors in hits (146), being second in on-base percentage (.343), third in runs (81), fourth in batting average (.256) and ranking in the Top 10 in several other offensive categories, that minutiae is exactly what Showalter does not want his players concentrating on.
Smith said Showalter just wants the Mets to display good fundamentals and have an excellent understanding of the ground rules; then the wins will follow. In that way, Smith said, the Mets will not become stagnant. The team would like to avoid a repeat of previous seasons, including last year, when they had control of first place for over 100 games only to spiral, miss the playoffs, and finish third in the division.
“We have been winning ballgames, but we still focus on ways we could improve,” Smith said. “Whether it be defensively, it could be hitting with runners in scoring position, it could be anything. It could be ground rules, it could be baserunning. The little things. It’s always something that happens in a game that Buck kind of brings to our attention that we could take advantage of in the future, or we could learn from the mistake as well.”
WALKER’S RETURN
The Mets rotation will look a little more complete as early as this weekend.
Taijuan Walker (right shoulder bursitis) is expected to come off the injured list and pitch against the Phillies on Saturday, according to manager Buck Showalter. Walker said he felt good after he threw four innings and 64 pitches in a simulated game on Monday at Busch Stadium. Showalter indicated the team believes he is stretched out enough to rejoin the rotation for his next outing, rather than pitching another rehab start.
“It definitely could’ve been a lot worse,” Walker said. “Just missing two starts was very ideal.”
Walker said he expects to go “at least five innings” and throw somewhere around 80-85 pitches against the Phillies this weekend. He has been on the injured list since he felt pain in his right shoulder during his season debut on April 11 in Philly.
MAX-NIDO BATTERY
On Monday’s series opener against the Cardinals, Tomas Nido caught Max Scherzer for his fourth straight start with the Mets. Showalter stopped short from saying that battery is a personal-catcher situation, but the skipper said Nido catching Scherzer for each of his starts isn’t a coincidence, either.
Nido made an effort to begin catching Scherzer as early as the offseason, during the owners’ lockout. Both players spent the winter in Florida, so Nido met up with Scherzer at the Cressey Sports Performance Complex in West Palm Beach to get to know the way the three-time Cy Young winner throws. It led to a quick and successful relationship between the pitcher and catcher, being at least a part of the reason Nido has been behind the plate for all of Scherzer’s starts so far.
The other reason being starting catcher James McCann’s minor back soreness during spring training, which caused him to miss some time catching Scherzer. Both Scherzer and Showalter have indicated the right-hander could throw to anybody, but it is becoming apparent that he at least prefers throwing to Nido right now. Showalter said the Mets may try to get McCann in a game with Scherzer at some point soon so that the battery becomes more familiar with one another.
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