PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets can just call it “Super Sunday.”
Jacob deGrom will start an exhibition game against the Cardinals at Clover Park that day and Max Scherzer will follow in relief, in a dynamic 1-2 punch, as manager Buck Showalter attempts to keep his aces aligned for Opening Week. DeGrom is scheduled to pitch the opener in Washington on April 7. Scherzer will pitch the following night.
The likely arrangement Sunday will have deGrom pitching three innings with Scherzer going five or six behind him, according to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
“When I flashed the idea to Max, he was like, ‘I am going to close it down,’ ” Hefner said Thursday. “It will be good for the fans. What an afternoon. What an opportunity for a family to come in and, ‘Hey, I am going to the yard to watch deGrom and Scherzer throw in the same game.’ That may never happen again, so it’s a pretty cool opportunity for fans and for us to witness that.”
Scherzer threw five innings against the Marlins in his Grapefruit League debut on Monday. DeGrom, pitching for the first time since last July, followed on Tuesday with two innings against the Astros.
Tylor Megill and Josh Walker are scheduled to pitch against the Astros on Friday. David Peterson and Taijuan Walker will follow against the Nationals before deGrom and Scherzer take their turn.
The Mets have a camp day Monday — a workout but no game — and Chris Bassitt is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Marlins.
James McCann, who was scratched from Tuesday’s game with back soreness, is improving according to Showalter, and may soon return behind the plate.
“Hopefully it is around the corner,” Showalter said. “But we have got some time there, he got a lot of at-bats early in intrasquad and different stuff. I am not going to put an exact date. It’s not ‘if,’ it’s ‘when.’ ”
The Mets employed most of their starting lineup Thursday night, but used Hayden Senger at catcher after Tomas Nido played earlier in the day in a minor league exhibition to handle Bassitt.
Drew Smith, who had been bothered by foot soreness, pitched a scoreless inning in the minor league game.
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