Max Scherzer dominates as Mets beat Braves in series-opener

ATLANTA — Truist Park became circus Maximus Monday night, but only one ace named Max really delivered. 

That was Max Scherzer, who dominated the opposition while his Braves counterpart, Max Fried, was lucky to survive the early innings. 

With Scherzer in charge, the Mets’ wasted opportunities weren’t so pronounced. The right-hander’s seven superb innings led a 4-1 victory, pushing the Mets’ NL East lead over the Braves back to 2 ½ games. 

The Mets (54-33) still have 14 games remaining against the Braves before the regular-season concludes. Scherzer offered a reminder on this night of why team owner Steve Cohen was willing to give him a three-year contract worth $130 million last offseason. 

Max Scherzer pitches Monday during the Mets’ win over the Braves. USA TODAY Sports

Scherzer didn’t dent until the seventh, when Austin Riley crushed a two-out homer that pulled the Braves within 2-1. The ensuing batter, Marcell Ozuna, doubled on a hanging slider before Scherzer struck out Eddie Rosario and pumped his fist in celebration. Before Riley’s homer, Scherzer had retired 12 straight batters and 20 of 21 in the game. 

Overall, the right-hander struck out nine batters in his 93-pitch outing and moved ahead of CC Sabathia for 17th place on the all-time strikeout list. Scherzer in his two starts since returning from the IL has allowed one earned run over 13 innings with five hits allowed, 20 strikeouts and no walks. 

Scherzer opened the game by retiring the first eight batters he faced before Robinson Cano, in his first plate appearance with his new team, singled off Luis Guillorme’s glove in the third. Before the Braves could get too excited, Scherzer struck out Ronald Acuna Jr. to end the inning. 

Robinson Cano debuts for the Braves, just in time for this week’s showdown against the Mets, who cut him earlier this season. AP

Guillorme got a run back for the Mets in the eighth, hammering a high fastball from Darren O’Day into the right-field seats for his second homer of the season. The homer was only the fourth of Guillorme’s career and his second in three at-bats lifetime against O’Day. The Mets added to their lead in the ninth on Pete Alonso’s RBI fielder’s choice. 

Fried somehow managed to survive five innings with only two runs allowed. The left-hander was in trouble for most of his outing, but the Mets barely capitalized. 

Alonso stroked an RBI double in the third that gave the Mets their first run. Alonso, with his two RBIs, has 72 this season, moving him within two of David Wright’s pre-All-Star break team record. Wright drove in 74 runs before the break in 2006. The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the inning on Guillorme’s fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. 

Pete Alonso slides into second base during his RBI double in the third inning. AP

Travis Jankowski walked leading off the fourth and Francisco Lindor delivered a two-out single, but Alonso struck out to end the threat. In the fifth, Mark Canha and Guillorme each walked, before J.D. Davis hit into an inning-ending double play. The Mets also had two runners on second — on a Guillorme double and Jankowski hit-by-pitch — but failed to score.