Jacob deGrom

Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom shut down for a few days

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Things aren’t going as well as expected in Flushing. The New York Mets are playing under .500 with an 11-12 record, with an offense that has been severely unproductive at times. Jacob deGrom, the team ace, has been the one constant amid all the uncertainty.

DeGrom, very likely the best pitcher in the league, has a 0.51 ERA and a 0.82 FIP, which is beyond ridiculous. He improves year after year, and continuously defies physics with an annual velocity increase.

However, the Mets’ frontline starter was scratched from his scheduled start against the Cardinals on Tuesday due to inflammation in his right lat, according to a team announcement. For now, deGrm will not be placed on the injured list, where several of his teammates are, but will not throw for the next few days.

How many days? It is unknown at this point, but it will largely depend on how he is feeling. Fortunately, though, imaging didn’t show anything overly serious, just some inflammation.

The Mets hope to have deGrom back soon

Bullpen arm Miguel Castro was going to take deGrom’s place on the mound last night against the St. Louis Cardinals, but poor weather conditions forced the league to postpone it.

According to Mets’ manager Luis Rojas, the decision to push deGrom’s last two starts a day didn’t have anything to do with this particular ailment, as this is the first time he hears about it.

Once the Mets saw deGrom having some issues stretching and getting ready to pitch, they decided to scratch him and send him for further evaluation.

“Everyone’s on their toes, a bunch of guys in there said ‘Give me the ball, I’ll start,’” Rojas said. “[Marcus] Stroman, who is our pitcher tomorrow, asked me if I wanted him to start. So even though it’s been some of those challenging moments, it’s been comforting to see how the guys are just ready and they don’t get stuck in the moment. That has shown that family concept in here when you face some tough times.”

The Mets are surely hoping to get deGrom back in no time.

Mets Offense Hits New Low and Wastes deGrom’s Start in 1-0 Loss

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Just when you think the New York Mets offense cannot get any worse, they laugh in your face and waste another three hours of your time. To make matters worse, they wasted another terrific start from Jacob deGrom to allow the Boston Red Sox to steal a 1-0 victory.

By no means should this discredit the great Red Sox pitching but every hitter in the lineup looks like they barely belong at the big league level. From the flailing swings to barely hitting the ball out of the infield, it looks like deGrom is pitching against them every night. Red Sox pitching held the Mets to just two hits after their best scoring opportunity in the first inning.

Nick Pivetta struggled with walks to start the season and continued the trend by walking Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor to start the game. In usual fashion, the following three batters all made outs without driving in a run. For the rest of the game, they were lucky to put the bat on the ball. Pivetta hurled five, one-hit innings with seven strikeouts. Garrett Whitlock followed with a very impressive two innings and struck out four. Adam Ottavino made it look easy in the eighth, and Matt Barnes struck out the side in the ninth to put the Mets to bed.

Same Old S…..

deGrom relived the nightmare scenario he has become so accustomed to. He was not at his best but still managed to strike out nine in six innings and hold the Red Sox to one run. Unfortunately, deGrom was just as cold as the rest of the offense as he went 0-for-2. Lately, the rest of the pitching staff has gotten the same treatment, and at some point, it needs to end.

From the beginning, it looks like the Mets are a team lacking the energy needed to win. It makes it tough to get going when Lindor cannot get himself going either. The Mets will move how he does, and as long as he remains cold, the rest of the team will. There may be the light at the end of the tunnel as Lindor lined out on a terrific leaping play by Marwin Gonzalez in his last at-bat. Hopefully, this is something Lindor can build upon as he moves forward.

After an off-day Thursday, the Mets head to Philadelphia to begin a three-game weekend series with the Phillies. Marcus Stroman will face off against Chase Anderson in game one of the series from Citizens Bank Park.

 

 

Mets Game Preview: (4/28/21) vs. Boston Red Sox (15-9)

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The New York Mets send their ace to the mound for the second and final game of their two-game series against the Boston Red Sox. They will try to provide more than the one-run of support as they aim for a split of the series. Wednesday’s game is an unusual 6:40 p.m. ET start from Citi Field.

The Mets have a very unusual offense that has no problem getting runners on base but struggles to score them. They are the only team in baseball hitting under .200 with runners in scoring position and have the worst slugging percentage in those situations at .252. Their offense’s problem is deeper than just hitting in clutch spots; there is very little power coming from anyone in the lineup. The Mets are second to last in doubles (22) and last in home runs (15). They have to consider themselves lucky to still be .500 and in first place.

Yesterday, the Red Sox showed why they have surprised baseball with their 15-9 record. Though it was not their usual offensive outburst, 10 strikeouts from Garrett Richards gave them all they needed to win. The offense pushed across two runs and used their power arms in the back of the bullpen to close out the win. The Red Sox bullpen has a 3.21 ERA and 102 strikeouts, fifth in MLB.

Pitching Matchup

Jacob deGrom has been absolutely masterful through his first four starts of the season. In 29 innings, he has 50 strikeouts which are the most through any pitcher’s first four starts in MLB history. deGrom is also doing it on both sides of the ball as well. He has only allowed one earned run while recording six hits and two RBIs this season. Not only will the Mets need him to deliver a victory, but they desperately need his bat in the lineup too.

Nick Pivetta is no stranger to Citi Field after beginning his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has settled in nicely during his first full season in Boston. In four starts, he has a 3.48 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched. Pivetta has struggled against the Mets with a 6.07 ERA in 37 innings.

Matchups To Lookout For

Nick Pivetta vs. Jeff McNeil: 4-for-8 (.500), 2 Doubles, Home Run, Walk, Strikeout

Nick Pivetta vs. Dominic Smith: 4-for-9 (.444), Double, Home Run, 2 Walks, 3 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Hunter Renfroe: 3-for-9 (.333), Double, 2 Home Runs, 2 Strikeouts

deGrom’s 15 K Shutout Draws MVP Chants in Mets 6-0 Win

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom has exceeded any expectations the New York Mets, or their fans could have ever imagined from him. He set a new career-high with 15 strikeouts in his second career complete-game shutout to give the Mets a 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

deGrom had everything working from the beginning and carried it all the way to the end of his outing. He began the night by reaching 101 mph on the radar gun, then completed his outing by retiring the final 19 batters he faced. deGrom’s 50 strikeouts this season set a record for the most strikeouts in MLB history through the first four starts of a season. He even garnered MVP fans from the contingent at Citi Field.

Finally Some Help

Despite the easy victory, it looked like a typical deGrom disappointment through the first half of the game. With no one out, the Mets stranded a runner at third base in the second inning to continue their painfully bad hitting with runners in scoring position. In the fifth, deGrom got the offense going with an RBI double which was the first of his two hits on the night. The strong offensive night brought his season average to an incredible .545.

Brandon Nimmo also continued his hot hitting in his return to the lineup. He finished just a triple shy of the cycle and had four RBIs which helped push his average back over .400. The Mets also got an encouraging game from Michael Conforto, who had two hits, getting his average over the Mendoza line. Overall, the team left eight runners on base but went 3-for-10 w/RISP.

The victory puts the Mets back in sole possession of first place with an 8-7 record. Marcus Stroman faces Joe Ross in the second game of the series which is scheduled for a 4:10 p.m. ET start from Citi Field.

Mets Game Preview: (4/23/21) vs. Washington Nationals (7-9)

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The New York Mets return home to Citi Field to rebound from their ugly three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. They face the Washington Nationals, who struggled early but have rebounded to put themselves within one game of first place in the NL East.

The 7-7 Mets would like to flush the “s— sandwich” of a sweep, as Pete Alonso called it, to get their groove back at home. They were just 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position in the three losses, and none of their starting pitchers complete four innings. Their defense was somehow worse by making six errors in the series, half belonging to J.D. Davis at third base.

Unfortunately, Davis is the only healthy player who is hitting well. He is 8-for-18 (.444) on the season and 2-for-4 (.500) w/RISP. On the bright side, his defense cannot get much worse, and we should expect to see him handling the hot corner once again. Brandon Nimmo is still day-to-day with hip stiffness and is a game-time decision for Friday’s game.

The Nationals come off a series win against the St. Louis Cardinals, where they won the final two games of the series. The Mets will avoid a few of their key players like Juan Soto, Jon Lester, Wander Suero, and Stephen Strasburg are all on the IL. Max Scherzer will not take the mound this weekend because he pitched during the series against the Cardinals.

Trea Turner leads the Nationals offense with a .302 average, four home runs, and five stolen bases. Brad Hand has been an anchor in the bullpen with six shutout innings, and three perfect save attempts to begin his Nats career. The Nationals have one of the weaker offenses in baseball. They have 55 runs scored (29th), 14 home runs (28th) but have a .253 team average (T-4th).

Pitching Matchup

Jacob deGrom takes the mound after a very dominant outing against the Colorado Rockies. In six innings, deGrom struck out 14 for the second consecutive start, fanning nine in a row at one point. He allowed three runs, but all of them were unearned, which helped lower his ERA to 0.45, the second-best in MLB. deGrom has always had success against the Nats with a 2.61 ERA in 20 career starts.

Erick Fedde gets the start for the Nationals and is coming off back-to-back solid outings. He combined for 9.2 innings, allowing two runs, and struck out 14 in that span. Fedde won’t provide much distance in the game because opposing hitters hit .328/.400/.648 the third time they face him. He has a 5.19 ERA in 26 innings against the Mets in his career, and he will have a tall task to keep the Nationals in the game with deGrom on the mound.

Matchups To Lookout For

Erick Fedde vs. Jeff McNeil: 5-for-7 (.714), Double, Walk, Strikeout

Erick Fedde vs. Michael Conforto: 3-for-7 (.429), Home Run, Strikeout

Jacob deGrom vs. Starlin Castro: 11-for-36 (.306), 2 Doubles, 2 Walks, 5 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Ryan Zimmerman: 5-for-27 (.185), 2 Home Runs, 9 Strikeouts

Mets Game(s) Preview: (4/17/21) @ Colorado Rockies (3-10)

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Mother Nature was once again mean to the New York Mets as snow showers prevented the first game of their series with the Colorado Rockies. Thanks to the snow, the Mets will play their second straight doubleheader after another cancellation.

7 of the original 15 games for the Mets have already been canceled, and there may still be more cancellations in the upcoming week. Despite the wacky schedule, the Mets sit in first place by half a game over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies.

The Rockies are a much different story. Trevor Story is the lone star on the team after Nolan Arenado was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals, beginning the rebuilding period for the Rockies. They have lost six straight games, but Ryan McMahon has started strong by leading the team in batting average, home runs, RBIs, and hits.

Pitching Matchups

Jacob deGrom gets the ball for game one and has been as good as advertised to begin the season. The Mets are 0-2 in his starts, but none of it is deGrom’s fault. A combination of bad defense and ugly offense has wasted his outings. Coors Field is hell for most pitchers, but deGrom has faired well with a 2.51 ERA in two prior starts in Colorado.

Chi Chi Gonzalez starts for the Rockies and has a 3.60 ERA over 3 outings (1 start) this season. Gonzalez only has five strikeouts in 10 innings pitched and has not pitched in a week. He will likely be on a short leash in his outing as the Rockies try to build his stamina.

Joey Lucchesi makes his first start with the Mets in the nightcap. Lucchesi has had a long rest after pitching two scoreless innings in the Mets third game of the season. After spending three seasons with the San Diego Padres, Lucchesi is very familiar with Coors Field but has a 5.56 ERA in five prior starts. He will be another pitcher who is not expected to pitch deep into the game.

German Marquez will pitch for the Rockies and looks to build on two straight solid outings where he allowed three runs in both. The Achilles heel for Marquez has been the inability to limit base runners. His 1.79 WHIP is dead last among qualified starters, and the Mets offense is known for their ability to flood the bases and work deep counts.

Mets Offense Fails To Support deGrom in 3-0 Loss To Marlins

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yankees, New York Mets, Luis Rojas

The New York Mets continue to create innovative and disappointing ways to waste Jacob deGrom‘s stellar outings. In their 3-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, the offense managed just three hits against Trevor Rogers, who outdueled the Mets ace.

deGrom and Rogers put on a classic pitchers duel. deGrom hurled eight innings, allowing just one run and striking out 14 Marlins. Unfortunately, a solo home run to Jazz Chisholm was all the fish needed to support Rogers. deGrom came out with his blazing fastball during the first two innings, but Chisholm’s homer forced him to adjust. He went back to being a complete pitcher using all three of his magnificent pitches to keep Marlins hitters guessing. Two more runs in the ninth off, Edwin Diaz gave the Marlins more than enough to complete the victory.

Rogers showed why the Marlins are very high on his future. He worked in and out of jams throughout the latter part of his outing and ended up striking out 10 on the day. Rogers set the tone in the first inning when he worked out of a first and third situation to keep the Mets scoreless. He also slithered his way out of a first and second with none out by retiring the 2-3-4 hitters in order.

Help The Guy Out

The loss makes the Mets 36-42 in deGrom’s starts since the 2018 season. deGrom was even responsible for one of the team’s three hits. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and dropped their season average with RISP below .150. There was little fight towards the end as 12 Mets in a row were retired to end the game. Michael Conforto continued his slump with an 0-for-4, three strikeout game and heard vociferous boos from the small contingent at Citi Field.

Through five games, the Mets are 2-3 and are lucky their record is not worse. Their starting pitching deserves a 4-1 record, but their offense is more of a 1-4 team. Either way, the Mets need to do a better job supporting the starting pitching they have received early in the season.

Marcus Stroman makes his second start of the season while the Marlins are waiting to name a starter. Sunday’s rubber game of the series is another 1:10 p.m. ET start from Citi Field.

Mets Game Preview (4/10/21): 1:05 p.m. vs. Miami Marlins (1-6)

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets look to make it two in a row against their division rival Marlins in the middle game of their three-game set. Of course, game one ended with the controversial hit by pitch to Michael Conforto, which gave the Mets a walk-off victory. The Mets will send their ace to the mound for Saturday afternoon’s game to leave no doubt in their potential victory.

The health of J.D. Davis is still day to day as he works himself back from the hand injury he suffered in Philadelphia. With a long season still ahead we should expect Davis to get ample time to return to full health. The combination of Luis Guillorme and Jonathan Villar have served the Mets fine during the last couple of games.

On the pitching side, the other major question concerns the pitch limit for Jacob deGrom. Manager Luis Rojas pulled him after just 77 pitches and it was a major factor in their Opening Day loss. Rojas said he was good for 90-100 on Opening Day and we should see deGrom hit that mark against a very familiar Marlins lineup.

Pitching Matchups

With deGrom on the mound the Mets have to provide him support in all aspects of the game. They have wasted start after start, year after year and they need to win to emerge as a World Series contender. deGrom was brilliant in his Opening Day start against the Phillies where he threw six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He was very fastball dominant and we will see if he carries that trend over to an aggressive Marlins lineup.

Trevor Rogers takes the ball for the Marlins after a rocky start against the St. Louis Cardinals. Rogers struckout six over four innings but four walks elevated his pitch count to 77. He features a 4-seam fastball in the mid-90s, slider and changeup. Rogers faced the Mets in his first two career starts and held them to two runs over nine innings.

Matchups To Lookout For

Jacob deGrom vs. Jesus Aguilar: 4-for-12 (.333), Double, Home Run, 2 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Jon Berti: 6-for-19 (.316), 3 Doubles, 5 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Brian Anderson: 8-for-35 (.229), 2 Doubles, Home Run, 3 Walks, 10 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Corey Dickerson: 2-for-14 (.143), Walks, 4 Strikeouts

Mets’ manager Luis Rojas ‘satisfied’ with decision to pull Jacob deGrom after 77 pitches

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yankees, New York Mets, Luis Rojas

The New York Mets, in their season opener last night, decided to pull Jacob deGrom, who was dealing on the mound, after throwing 77 pitches. That call has become controversial ever since Kevin Cash did something similar with Blake Snell in last year’s World Series, as it shows the marked division between two schools of thought: the analytical-driven people who say that having a pitcher face a lineup for a third time it’s not worth the risk, and the old schoolers who live and die with their ace.

Mets’ manager Luis Rojas called the bullpen in the seventh, bringing right-hander Miguel Castro even though the skipper had said prior to the game that deGrom’s pitch count for the contest would be near 100.

“Going out for the six innings and you guys saw the activity on the bases. And he hasn’t thrown in 10 days. So the conversations in between innings with him led us to make the decision of pulling him,” Rojas told reporters via Zoom following the Mets’ 5-3 loss to the Phillies (link to the SNY article here). “…I know he was way under than what he’s built up leaving camp. But maybe the 10 days without throwing led to the decision during the game.

The Mets had already discussed the idea

The Mets’ manager said “it was an agreement between everyone after we got to that spot in the sixth.”

He later added that despite the result (the bullpen and defense blowing the game), he was “satisfied” with the decision to pull his ace.

The Mets’ pitcher confirmed that it was discussed before the game that he wouldn’t go as far as initially planned.

“That was kind of discussed where we’re going to be before,” deGrom said. “10 days without facing hitters, kept trying to throw bullpens but didn’t want to throw too many pitches with the hope of playing Saturday and then finding out that series is canceled so that was the last time I was able to throw. So it was kind of a how many ups thing, how many pitches not being in a game facing hitters for 10 days.”

May, Loup and Mets Defense Implode During Five Run Eighth in 5-3 Loss

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It truly would not be a Jacob deGrom start without the New York Mets bullpen and defense sticking a huge middle finger to him once he leaves the game. deGrom cruised through six shutout innings but was pulled after just 77 pitches, even though Manager Luis Rojas said he could get to the 100 pitch plateau. Miguel Castro gave the Mets a scoreless seventh, but all hell broke loose in the eighth.

The debuting Mets relievers had an ugly night. Trevor May was the first and ran into loads of trouble after striking out the first batter he faced. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Bryce Harper, and May turned the ball to Aaron Loup. He hit Harper with the second pitch he threw to make it a 2-1 game, then J.T. Realmuto singled to knot the game up 2-2. Alec Bohm followed with a dribbler to defensive replacement, Luis Guillorme, but a combination of a poor throw and horrible footwork from catcher James McCann resulted in two runs scoring on the error. A sacrifice fly from Didi Gregorious was the final blow in the five-run inning.

The Mets offense showed the rust of a team that spent the last handful of days on the sidelines. Matt Moore looked like Steve Carlton for the first two innings, striking out four in a row at one point. Once the Mets turned the lineup over, their patience grew and forced Moore into four walks. Moore only lasted 3.1 innings and needed 74 pitches to make it through.

After making the first two outs against Jose Alvarado in the ninth, the Mets started a comeback. Kevin Pillar and Francisco Lindor singles gave the Mets first and third. Michael Conforto came to the plate as the tying run and hit a bloop single just off Harper’s glove, making it a 5-3 game. Pete Alonso came three feet from either tying the game with his shot to right field, but Harper had enough room to reeled it in on the warning track.

Questions To Answer

Rojas’s decision to pull deGrom after 77 pitches is a glaring blunder. deGrom retired the last nine batters he faced, which further pushes the idea of Rojas overmanaging the situation. A more in-depth question comes with his use of the bench in the ninth. Rojas used Jonathan Villar instead of Albert Almora to bat for the pitcher. Villar struck out, but the issue is what could have happened after Villar’s at-bat.

When Conforto reached on his single, he was the tying run, and Villar’s speed is always a threat. Regardless of whether Alvarado remained game, Villar is a runner any pitcher has to pay close attention to. If Alonso split the gap, Villar would have given the Mets a better chance of tying the game than Conforto. The erratic Alvarado might have lost the strike zone with his mind occupied on the tying run.

Overall, the Mets have to be happy with their fight in the ninth. They could have easily rolled over and conceded a 1-2-3 finish. On Tuesday, Marcus Stroman makes his first start against Chase Anderson for the Phillies. The first pitch is another 7:05 p.m. start from Citizens Bank Park.