As Mets arms navigate rocky road, Joey Lucchesi provides big lift

SAN FRANCISCO — When the performance ended and the time came to soak everything in, Joey Lucchesi turned to Tomás Nido inside the Mets dugout and told the catcher, “I think this is my best outing.”

The numbers and context support Lucchesi’s thought.

In his first major-league game since June 2021, Lucchesi tossed seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. In the Mets’ 7-0 win over the Giants, he allowed just four hits and one walk. Lucchesi’s game score, which is a measure of overall starting pitcher effectiveness, was 80. His previous best was 73. Indeed, Friday night’s outing registers as the best over the 29-year-old lefty’s five-year career. And Lucchesi accomplished even more than that.

Twenty-one games into the season, it was Lucchesi who produced the Mets’ best outing from a starting pitcher. He became the first Mets starter to pitch into the seventh inning. Not Max Scherzer. Not Justin Verlander. Not Kodai Senga.

Lucchesi.

“It was sick, man,” he said.

The Mets needed it. In spite of all their pitching injuries and Scherzer’s suspension, the Mets own a 14-7 record. But injuries have decimated New York’s rotation while usage has stressed its bullpen. New York entered the game tied for the fifth-fewest quality starts — with three. In filling in for the injured Carlos Carrasco, Lucchesi gave the Mets precisely the kind of outing they had been hoping for.

To make room for Lucchesi on the roster, the Mets optioned reliever John Curtiss. Mets manager Buck Showalter said that part of the decision to move Curtiss to Triple-A Syracuse can be attributed to the Mets playing with just 12 pitchers. As part of the penalty for Scherzer’s 10-game suspension, the

Mets must play one player short of the regular 26-man roster. At least for now, they’ve elected to carry 13 position players.

Scherzer’s suspension impacts the roster in a few ways. For one, it created another opening in an already-beleaguered rotation. New York’s starters have averaged about five innings per outing. In theory, expecting depth starters to provide more than that seems unrealistic. So, the trickle-down effect hits the bullpen, particularly the backend group, which the Mets have needed to lean on. The whole situation sparks roster construction conversations, which could change by the day.

Lucchesi deserves a lot of credit for battling from Tommy John surgery in 2021, waiting for a chance in Triple-A Syracuse and looking better than ever.

The Mets’ front office has assembled a depth chart featuring solid back-up options for several spots. They’re being tested. So far, so good. But the challenge continues.

David Peterson starts on Saturday. Tylor Megill takes the mound on Sunday. The Mets don’t play on Monday. Then things get interesting.

The Mets’ rotation features an opening for two turns during the length of Scherzer’s suspension. Thus, the Mets need another starting pitcher for Tuesday and April 30. Even with their…