Bryce Harper vs Max Scherzer Predictions for Phillies vs Mets - April 29th | MLB 2022
The New York Mets will host the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series tomorrow. The game sets up a key matchup between two former all-time Washington Nationals stars Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer. The two played together before Harper departed to Philadelphia via free agency. Scherzer found his way to New York on a three-year $130 million contract.
The Mets are off to a hot start, winning their first six series of the season for the first time in franchise history. The team has dominated on multiple fronts, with stellar starting pitching and a consistent offense giving the Mets the best record in baseball with 14 wins.
The Mets are led by a resurgent Francisco Lindor and a staff with a 2.93 team ERA (even without Jacob deGrom). The massive investments Steve Cohen has made are paying off. Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha, and Starling Marte have bolstered the offense while Max Scherzer and Chris Bassit have bolstered the rotation as expected.
The Phillies also spent massively this offseason. However, the team has gotten off to a sluggish start. Pitching and defense have doomed the ballclub. While acquisitions Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber have been performing, the rest of the offense for Joe Girardi's lineup has been plagued by inconsistency.
Bryce Harper Preview
Harper played like a man sent on a mission from the baseball gods in the 2021 season, earning him the NL MVP Award. This season, however, has been disappointing as the star Phillies outfielder mustered only five hits in his first eight games of the season. Harper has begun to turn it around recently, however, as he's lifted his OPS from .378 to .719. The matchup against the Rockies could be a springboard into a hot streak for the two-time NL MVP.
Bryce Harper leads off the 3rd inning with a triple! https://t.co/YBTY5C1lAf
Mets fans will be hoping that Harper's cold spell can hold out just a little bit longer.
Max Scherzer preview:
Max Scherzer entered the 2022 season with massive expectations from a Mets fanbase that was skeptical about his annual $44 million salary. The pressure was dialed up even higher when Jacob deGrom was declared out of commission until at least the end of May.
However, Scherzer has stepped up and filled the ace role without much adjustment. In his last two starts Scherzer has pitched 14 innings, racking up 20 strikeouts. allowing just one run. Scherzer is clearly in midseason form right now.
.@Max_Scherzer is good. Really, really good. #LGM https://t.co/eyR9T6mEvq
"@Max_Scherzer is good. Really, really good. #LGM" - New York Mets twitter account
Scherzer will hope to ride the hot streak back to Queens.
Bryce Harper vs. the Mets rotation:
Harper hasn't faced many of the current Mets starters. Players such as Carlos Carrasco, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker spent a great deal of their careers in the AL. Harper is a known Met-killer, however, slugging 31 home runs in 158 career games against the club.
Max Scherzer vs. the Phillies lineup:
Max Scherzer has dominated this generation of the Phillies. Only shorstop Jean Segura sports a batting average over .250 against the dominant righty. In his entire career, Scherzer has held the Phillies to a .206 batting average, illustrating his dominance over the team during his tenure in Washington.
Harper vs. Scherzer the verdict
While Harper appears to be on his way to returning to his peak performance, Max Scherzer is already there. Expect the Mets ace to keep the 2021 NL MVP in check, not allowing Harper to get a single extra base hit during the matchup. Harper will likely have at least one strikout against Scherzer as well.