MLB

Mets fall to Tigers as Scherzer outduels Harvey

Mets ace Matt Harvey faced Detroit’s Max Scherzer in an historic matchup, the first time two All-Star Game starting pitchers had ever faced off in the same regular season.

Shame the Mets’ offense didn’t show up for Harvey, as usual.

The Amazin’s habit of sabotaging their ace has gone from a simple irritation to an epidemic. They were shut out 3-0 by the Tigers Saturday in front of 35,636 at Citi Field, squandering yet another stellar outing by their 24-year-old All-Star.

Harvey (9-5) scattered 13 hits in 6 2/3 hard-fought innings, didn’t walk a single batter and somehow held Detroit to just two second-inning runs. But the Mets couldn’t muster a single run for him, and they have lost five of his last six starts, and 10 of his last 15 since June 1 — shockingly, the worst they have treated any of their starters.

Scherzer dominated the Mets in six shutout innings, holding them to just three hits and striking out 11. The beneficiary of great run support, his Tigers having scored 153 runs in his 26 starts, Scherzer (19-1) became just the third pitcher to win 19 of his first 20 decisions.

It only begged the question of what Harvey could do with the same kind of support; and one couldn’t blame Harvey if he wondered himself?

Harvey has gotten just 95 runs in the same amount of starts; and facing the AL Central-leading Tigers, he had to be resourceful just to keep the Mets in the game.

He allowed multiple hits in each of the first three innings and repeatedly had to pitch out of trouble. He surrendered the only runs of the game in the second, and it was Scherzer who hurt him the most, lacing a 96 mph fastball for a double to left that plated Andy Dirks. Austin Jackson’s RBI single that Mets shortstop Omar Quintanilla did well to keep in the infield scored Brayan Pena.

Meanwhile, the Mets were being smothered, with Scherzer striking out seven of eight at one point. Eric Young Jr. fanned on a 78 mph curve to strand two in the fifth, and — after Wilmer Flores walked on four pitches to load the bases in the sixth — the bottom of the lineup came up small against Scherzer.

Center fielder Juan Lagares fanned, and catcher John Buck swung at the first pitch he saw, popping a slider up to short and getting showered with boos as Scherzer punched his glove in celebration.

The Mets’ defense — and fortune — kept it close. Young threw Omar Infante out at home trying to score on Prince Fielder’s single, right fielder Marlon Byrd’s strong throw home held a runner at third later in the seventh and they appeared to catch a break when Matt Tuiasosopo looked to have beaten a force play at second.

Still, Detroit added an insurance run in the ninth — Don Kelly’s RBI sacrifice fly off Pedro Feliciano — but it hardly mattered. Joaquin Benoit closed the Mets out in the ninth quietly for his 17th save.