Scherzer tossed, Mets still rally to beat Dodgers 5-3
Max Scherzer was ejected in the fourth inning after the umpires' customary check of his glove, but New York's bullpen came through and Brandon Nimmo went 5 for 5 in the Mets' 5-3 victory over the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.
Nimmo hit a two-run homer off Noah Syndergaard (0-3) in the fifth inning, and he singled and scored on Mark Canha's two-run double in the ninth to complete his second career five-hit game.
Five Mets relievers filled in resourcefully for Scherzer, who was furious when umpire Phil Cuzzi tossed him following the inspection of his glove and a lengthy conversation that included plate umpire Dan Bellino, the crew chief. The 38-year-old right-hander already had been told by umpires to change his glove before he took the mound one inning earlier in the bottom of the third.
Scherzer yelled "It's rosin!" at Bellino and Cuzzi before his ejection.
He had pitched three scoreless innings of one-hit ball before his early exit from his fourth start of the season. It was Scherzer's shortest start since June 11, 2021, when he threw 12 pitches for Washington before leaving with a groin injury.
David Peralta homered in the ninth for the Dodgers, who have lost eight of 12 to fall back under .500 (9-10) while fielding a lineup that featured just two batters who made a significant contribution to last season's 111-win team. Los Angeles didn't take its 10th loss last season until its 30th game on May 12.
Jimmy Yacabonis (2-0) pitched 2 2/3 innings of two-hit ball after getting the abrupt call to the mound following Scherzer's ejection. Adam Ottavino gave up Peralta's homer, but finished for his third save.
Syndergaard yielded five hits and two runs over six innings for Los Angeles in his first career start against the Mets, his employer for his first seven years in the big leagues.
Syndergaard broke in with the Mets in 2015 and spent seven years with the club, but injuries short-circuited his time in New York. He had Tommy John surgery in 2020 and barely pitched again for the Mets before leaving last year for the Angels.
Scherzer also faced his former team for the first time since leaving. He finished the 2021 season impressively with the Dodgers as a midseason acquisition before signing a mammoth $130 million, three-year contract with the Mets.
Mookie Betts missed his second straight game on the paternity list after his wife gave birth to their second child on Tuesday. The absences of Betts and injured Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas forced Luke Williams to play shortstop for the first time for the Dodgers, and for only the sixth time in his major league career.
Jason Heyward doubled and scored on Peralta's flyout off Yacabonis in the fourth, but Nimmo put the Mets ahead with his first homer of the season in the fifth.
New York added a run in the eighth when Francisco Lindor doubled and scored on pinch-hitter Tommy Pham's sacrifice fly. The Dodgers got one back in the eighth on J.D. Martinez's RBI double, but Canha came through in the ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: Starling Marte left the game in the sixth inning, but the team didn't immediately disclose the reason.
Dodgers: Rojas went on the injured list with a hamstring strain. The shortstop left Tuesday's game in the fifth inning. Los Angeles recalled infielder Yonny Hernández, who grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth in his Dodgers debut. ... Taylor hopes to play this weekend, manager Dave Roberts said. The utilityman missed his second straight game with an injury on his left side.
UP NEXT
Mets: Kodai Senga (2-0, 3.38 ERA) makes his fourth major league start Thursday when New York opens the final series of its 10-game West Coast road trip in San Francisco.
Dodgers: Michael Grove (0-1, 9.00 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season Thursday when they open a four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Grove threw 5 2/3 innings of two-hit, one-run ball against Chicago last Saturday.
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