Well folks, it had rained on and off all day at Citi Field, and by first pitch that mound was about as trustworthy as a used car with a fresh coat of wax. The grounds crew was out there between innings with rakes and mound clay like a pit crew, patching the same soft spot over and over. Miz's back foot was sliding around on his push-off from the first inning on. You could see it bothering him.
And it showed in the radar gun. He topped out at just 100.9 miles an hour — his slowest peak of the entire season not counting one other night, and about four ticks off what he'd normally show you. On a mound like that, most guys start missing spots. Miz just changed his approach and kept getting outs anyway.
Six innings, six strikeouts, two runs — both of them the kind that come from fighting your footing more than fighting the hitter. And here's the number that matters more than the velocity: that's 25 consecutive starts to open a season allowing three earned runs or fewer, tying Dwight Gooden's mark from 1985. Only Claude Osteen's 28-start run back in 1966 goes longer. Doc Gooden's still in the conversation, and so is Jacob Misiorowski, on a night his fastball didn't even show up.
The offense made sure the footing didn't matter. Jackson Chourio had himself a career night — 4 hits, 4 runs, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs — and by the time the dust settled the Brewers had put up eight. Final: Brewers 8, Mets 2. Miz's final line went in the books at 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB, 89 pitches. Fourteen wins now. ERA down to 1.73, still tops in the game — earned the hard way tonight, on a mound that wasn't doing him any favors.