Jacob deGrom

New York Mets: Bullpen Takes deGrom’s Win in Weird 5-4 Victory

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets needed length out of Jacob deGrom after getting abbreviated starts during their doubleheader loss on Tuesday. deGrom gave them that and much more in his first start in almost a week. He tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts, but a bullpen implosion in the eighth inning prevented him from his third win of the season.

Luckily Wilson Ramos, who was hitting .100 w/RISP, came through to give the Mets the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Brad Brach went nine days without pitching but stayed tough to lock down the Mets victory over the Miami Marlins, 5-4.

The bullpen implosion started in the eighth inning when Justin Wilson allowed three singles to load the bases. He gave way to Edwin Diaz, who gave up a 107-mph single that J.D. Davis could not secure, followed by back to back walks to tie the game.

Diaz left the game with an apparent injury before the game-tying walk, leaving Brach a 2-1 count. Brach finished the at-bat with a walk before getting the game to the ninth inning. He needed help from Jeff McNeil‘s foot to prevent Jonathan Villar from stealing second base to get through the inning.

Clutch Hitting

The Mets were as dreadful on offense as any team could be on Tuesday. They put together a much-improved showing with a 2-for-9 output w/RISP and left seven on base. There was a much more concerted effort to hit the ball to the opposite field, and it was precisely what Wilson Ramos did to give the Mets the lead run.

Robinson Cano helped lead the way with three hits, moving his batting average to .382. Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo also added home runs, both their fifth of the year, as well.

Dominant deGrom

deGrom pitched as well as any pitcher can without recording a no-hitter. The two Marlins hits he allowed were light, and his fastball sat in the 99-100 mph range. It was undoubtedly his best outing of the season and showed what a couple of extra days of rest does for him.

Should the Mets choose not to join other professional sports teams in protest on Thursday, they finish their series with the Marlins. They currently have not named a starter yet, but face rookie Sixto Sanchez at 7:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field.

New York Mets Series Preview: Miami Marlins (8/25-8/27)

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The New York Mets are finally back in action after a couple of positive COVID-19 tests halted their season. They will pick up with the same team they left off against in the Miami Marlins. Their schedule is jammed packed for the next week, and it starts with four games in three days.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday, 8/25 @ 5:10 p.m. ET: Daniel Castano (0-2, 5.91 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (1-3, 5.76 ERA)

Tuesday, 8/25 @ Directly After the First Game: TBD vs. Seth Lugo (1-2, 2.61 ERA)

Wednesday, 8/26 @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Elieser Hernandez (1-0, 2.29 ERA) vs. Jacob deGrom (2-0, 1.93 ERA)

Thursday, 8/27 @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Sixto Sanchez (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. TBD

For everyone speculating about who the Met with COVID is, we have our list narrowed down to two. Tomas Nido and Andres Gimenez were put on the injured list without a specific injury, which is the norm when it is a COVID-19 related listing. The player without a positive test is on the IL likely due to close contact with the staff member who tested positive.

Back to the Schedule

The Marlins are a team familiar with returning to the field after a long layoff. They have to miss a large chunk of their schedule after the virus spread throughout their team very early in the season. It stunted their hot start to the season, and their record has not recovered yet.

Rick Porcello gets the first start of the twi-night doubleheader and looks to continue his good stretch on the mound. After putting up a 13.50 ERA during his first two starts, he has a 3.32 ERA since despite hitters batting over .300 against him over that stretch. One of those two numbers is going to balance out the other. It is tough to maintain success when batters are continuously getting on base.

Seth Lugo also returns to the starting rotation for the first time since the 2018 season. Lugo will remain in the rotation as long as he pitches well, but the Mets will have to be careful when building up his stamina. He has been pitching with a partially torn UCL, and there has to be a concern that becoming a starter will cause more damage if pushed too far. As such a valuable asset to the Mets pitching staff, the Mets desperately need him healthy.

Matchups to Look Out For

Jacob deGrom vs. Lewis Brinson: 4-for-22 (.182), Double, 8 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Jon Berti: 6-for-15 (.400), 3 Doubles, 2 Strikeouts

Dominic Smith w/RISP: .318/.393/.682, Home Run, 15 RBI

Seth Lugo Career As a Starter: 13-8, 4.06 ERA, 31 Starts

New York Mets: Tuesday Pinpointed as Return Date

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New York Mets, Michael Wacha

The New York Mets have contained their COVID-19 problem to keep it within the one player and staff member who contracted it. With their entire traveling party testing negative now, the Mets have to figure out when to return to action for the second half of the season.

Ideally, they can attempt to squeeze in a doubleheader on Monday with the New York Yankees. Returning to action on Monday is unlikely due to taking extreme caution with a potential outbreak. Tuesday marks the start of a series with the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. The Mets have not held any workouts since their last game, which could give them Monday as a day to get the team back on the field.

Negative Tests

The people who returned to New York received tests on Thursday and Friday with no positive results. MLB has not released Saturday and Sunday’s tests, and the Mets have not commented at any point about the entire matter. After the outbreaks to occur with the Marlins and Cardinals, the Mets handling of the situation is very encouraging to MLB.

While we do not know who the player that tested positive is yet, we will likely know when said player is not with the Mets when they resume play. Luckily no matter who it is, the Mets’ playoff aspirations are still very much alive. The NL East is full of underachieving teams who are dealing with personnel issues. The division is as wide open as any in all of baseball.

The assumption would be that Jacob deGrom restarts the Mets season on Tuesday. With the starting rotation in shambles, deGrom would technically start back-to-back games if he earned Tuesday’s start.

New York Mets: Conforto’s Two Run Homer Saves the Mets in 5-3 Win

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Per usual for the New York Mets, the found a way to squander another Jacob deGrom start. The wild combination of Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz loaded the bases then walked in the game-tying run. Luckily Michael Conforto came through to give the Mets the lead in the ninth with a two-run homer.

Manager Luis Rojas elected to leave Diaz in there to finish the ninth inning and shut the door. Diaz struck out the side and made it look relatively easy. It got the Mets their first three-game winning streak of the season and moved them to 12-14 on the season.

It was mysterious as to why Seth Lugo was not in the game at any point. The speculation is that he will start Thursday’s game instead of Steven Matz. The Conforto homer saves Rojas from some serious questioning as to why he stuck with Betances so long and then followed it with Diaz.

deGrom Dominant

Jacob deGrom was dialed in from the beginning. He shutout the Marlins for six innings and held their offense to only four hits with seven strikeouts. After receiving extended bullpen outings over the past two nights, they needed deGrom to give them some length on the mound.

Dominic Smith and Luis Guillorme remained extremely hot. Smith recorded two doubles, one resulting in an RBI and the other resulting in Guillorme driving him in. Guillorme also recorded two hits to move his average to .464 and is continuing to become a player the Mets cannot afford to keep out of the lineup.

The Mets shoot for the sweep as either Lugo or Matz take the mound against Daniel Castano at 6:10 p.m. in the final game from Marlins Park.

 

New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom scratched from start with tight neck

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Right-hander Jacob deGrom was supposed to start tonight for the New York Mets against the Philadelphia Phillies, but the team announced that has been scratched. Walker Lockett will take the hill in his place.

DeGrom is dealing with a tight neck, which doesn’t sound like an overly serious issue but it was bad enough to keep him from taking the mound in an important intra-division game. The New York Mets certainly preferred to handle the situation with caution before aggravating the injury in any way.

The New York Mets’ ace has, according to MLB.com’s beat reporter for the club Anthony DiComo, no structural issues with his neck. He will rest for a couple of days and then, if all goes well, throw a bullpen session on Sunday or Monday.

The Mets will proceed with caution

Initially, it was believed that the reason why the Mets scratched their best hurler was related to a “hot spot” on the middle finger of his right hand, a situation that presented itself during his last start. He described it as a small blister in formation.

However, deGrom remained confident that the issue would disappear between starts and he would be able to pitch against the Phils, which appeared to be the case until the tight neck appeared.

The pitcher expressed his frustration after it was reported that he wouldn’t be taking the ball on Friday. “I love going out there and pitching and competing,” Jacob deGrom said. “And when you’re not able to, it really does frustrate you.”

The Mets’ pitcher has been dominating as usual in the start of the short 2020 season, with a 2-0 record and a 2.45 ERA in four starts so far. The two-time Cy Young Award winner currently has a 32.6 K% and a 5.8 BB% in 22.0 frames, with an even better 2.40 FIP.

New York Mets: Offense, Bullpen Picks Up deGrom in 4-2 Victory

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New York Mets, Andres Gimenez

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is the king of day games but did not have his best stuff on Sunday. Despite only getting through five innings, he gave the Mets all they needed to get the 4-2 victory as they attempt to climb back to .500.

A lingering issue with his middle finger started bothering deGrom in the second inning. It forced him to elevate his pitch count and even drew a visit from the trainer. deGrom worked through the outing to pitch five innings, strikeout six and hold the Marlins to two runs. It was his second win of the season, and the only blemish on his line was a Jesus Aguilar two-run homer in the fifth inning.

Gimenez Leads the Way

Andres Gimenez continued to prove his worth at the big league level. He recorded three hits, including a double, and showcased his speed on the bases. Gimenez had a bunt single, stolen base and scored on a shallow sacrifice fly.

The Mets also took advantage of a weak Marlins outfield defense to record their runs. In the third inning, Jeff McNeil was robbed of a single with the bases loaded, but the fielder’s choice gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Following that, a Corey Dickerson error gave the Mets their second run of the game.

A base hit from Brandon Nimmo in the fourth and a sac fly from McNeil in the sixth were all the Mets needed. It was important for the Mets to put together good at-bats in these situations where putting the ball in play score the Mets runs, instead of relying on the home run.

Bullpen Flexes Muscle

The bullpen depth the Mets signed in the offseason finally showed up. Jared Hughes and Dellin Betances started with back to back scoreless innings then the Edwin Diaz roller coaster began. By bringing in Diaz during the eighth, with a lead, it was clear the Mets want him back in the ninth when fully ready.

Diaz looked sharp, striking out the first two but then a single and double put the tying run in scoring position. In a situation where he would break, Diaz struck out Monte Harrison to get the Mets out of the jam. Seth Lugo slammed the door shut in the ninth as the closer role is firmly his at the moment.

Steven Matz takes the mound on Monday as the Mets begin a four-game set with the struggling Washington Nationals. The 7:10 p.m. ET game has the same matchup as last week with Patrick Corbin on the mound for the Nats.

New York Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom has added velocity at an unparalleled rate

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

These days, it is not uncommon for pitchers to unlock more velocity either by exercising their boudy and bulking up or by making mechanical tweaks to their deliveries. However, the specific case of New York Mets‘ ace Jacob deGrom has no precedents in the major leagues: he has added five miles per hour (mph) to his four-seam fastball since the 2016 campaign, which is utterly impressive.

For the Mets, having deGrom as their ace is a blessing. For the rest of the league, it is terrifying to know that the right-hander had a 2.05 ERA between the 2018 and 2019 seasons with more than 11 K/9 and did all that by throwing softer than he does now.

As a pitcher ages, it is natural to lose some fastball velocity, as Father Time usually wins all battles. But deGrom is now 32 years old and increasing his velo. Amazing, indeed.

The Mets’ velocity artist

In his start against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Mets’ two-time Cy Young award winner threw two pitches at 101.1 mph. In his last appearance against the Atlanta Braves, hitting 100 mph was a routine.

MLB.com registered deGrom’s fastball velocity since the 2016 season:

2016: 93.9 mph (T-38th of 142 SP, min. 750 fastballs)

2017: 95.1 mph (T-16th of 140)

2018: 95.8 mph (T-6th of 132)

2019: 96.9 mph (3rd of 128)

2020: 98.7 mph (1st of 155, min. 25)

The Mets’ star explained that he achieved this with time and practice. “This [coronavirus] break — and even in spring, just working on my delivery — I actually feel like it’s coming out with less effort than in years past,” deGrom told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo on Monday. “I think just with that time off, I continued to work on my delivery, and feel like everything’s kind of in line where I want it to be.”

It is fair to say that his work has paid off. Has he reached his ceiling or will he continue to unlock more heat?

New York Mets Series Preview: Miami Marlins (8/7-8/9)

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets return to Citi Field after an off day to play the first-place Miami Marlins. At 6-1, the Marlins have had plenty of games postponed due to their COVID-19 outbreak. Despite the hot start, the quarantine period for some of their players will be a lot to overcome.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, (8/7) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Humberto Mejia (MLB Debut) vs. Michael Wacha (1-1, 6.00 ERA)

Saturday, (8/8) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: TBD vs. David Peterson (1-1, 3.86 ERA)

Sunday (8/9) @ 1:10 p.m. ET: TBD vs. Jacob deGrom (1-0, 2.12 ERA)

The Mets get Jeff McNeil back into the lineup after sitting out the last couple of games dealing with an intercostal strain. Even more interesting for the Mets is the switch of J.D. Davis to third base and McNeil to the outfield. Davis shined with the glove at third in his one start on Wednesday, and McNeil has been a liability to start the season.

Jacob deGrom gets to pitch another day game, which is a specialty for the Mets ace. He has an ERA under two during the day time starts. With a lineup as weak as the Marlins currently is, it should be easy pickings for the two-time Cy Young winner.

Matchups to Lookout For

Jacob deGrom vs. Lewis Brinson: 4-for-20 (.200), Double, 8 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Jon Berti: 5-for-12 (.417), 3 Doubles, 2 Strikeouts

New York Mets: deGrom Finally Gets Run Support in 7-2 Victory

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New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom stabilized the Mets after the fiasco from Sunday. He put together another excellent start to end the five-game losing streak and avoid a sweep to the Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately, the Mets suffered multiple injuries on the day.

deGrom looked unhittable throughout the first four innings of his start. Two runs in the fifth inning were all he allowed in his six innings of work and struck out ten on the night. Former Met Travis d’Arnaud got the Mets back once again when his home run tallied the first Braves run. He followed in the footsteps of Wilmer Flores, who did the same as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019.

Run Support?

It is a rare game where deGrom received enough run support to pitch comfortably. The offense broke out of their slump with runners in scoring position, going 5-for-13 on the night in those situations. Wilson Ramos had a breakout night with two hits, including his first home run, and three runs batted in.

Michael Conforto and Robinson Cano remained hot for the Mets as well. Conforto moved up to the two spot in the lineup and recorded three hits, including a double. His average sits at a pretty .325 on the season. Cano recorded three RBIs and hits during both of his at-bats before leaving with a leg injury.

Injuries Galore

The Mets infield is in shambles as three-quarters of the infield suffered an injury, and the other quarter is in the midst of a major slump. Cano injured is groin attempting to score from second on a groundball that squeaked past Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson. It was clear the second Cano had to run hard and slide that some injury would occur just base on his injuries in 2019.

Amed Rosario left the game with left quad tightness in the third inning. It is unclear when the injury occurred, but it pained him enough that he could not run down the first baseline on his ground out. At least the Mets have Andres Gimenez as a reliable replacement should the injury linger.

Jeff McNeil was scratched right before the game due to back tightness he suffered during batting practice. It did not seem major enough to keep him out multiple games, but his back was not in good enough shape to get through the game.

Welcome to the Bullpen

Jared Hughes showed why he was an underrated signing for the Mets. He pitched two innings, allowing only two walks and striking out three to end the game. Hughes’s sinker/slider combo is an excellent addition to the Mets bullpen, which lacked depth behind their top horses.

The Mets try to take advantage of a Washington Nationals team who has not played since July 30th. They begin a short two-game series at Nationals Park on Tuesday, with Steven Matz facing a Nationals starter to be announced. The first pitch from the national capital is at 7:05 p.m.

New York Mets Series Preview: Atlanta Braves (7/31-8/3)

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New York Mets, David Peterson

The New York Mets head down south to begin a four-game series with their division rival Atlanta Braves. They fell to 3-4 on the season after dropping two straight tough games against the Boston Red Sox. The Braves opened up the season by taking two out of three from the Mets to start the season.

Probable Pitching Matchups:

Friday (7/31) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Rick Porcello (0-1, 27.00 ERA) vs. Sean Newcomb (0-0, 2.70 ERA)

Saturday (8/1) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. TBD

Sunday (8/2) @ 1:10 p.m. ET: David Peterson (1-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. Kyle Wright (0-1, 16.88 ERA)

Monday (8/3) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Jacob deGrom (0-0, 1.64 ERA) vs. Mike Soroka (0-0, 1.59 ERA)

The first series between the two teams started terrific for the Mets but concluded in misery as Edwin Diaz, and Rick Porcello headlined their pitching struggles. The Braves pitching kept the Mets bats in check, holding them to only five runs in the entire series.

Fool Me Once Shame on You, Fool Me Twice Shame on Me

Rick Porcello had a very poor Mets debut, allowing seven runs in two innings in a 14-1 loss on national tv. The first game of the series is a rematch of the pitching matchup from the blowout loss, and Porcello hopes to show the Mets he is reliable as their third starter.

David Peterson also gets an opportunity to pitch against a better offense, which is built on power. They are third in home runs but lead the entire major leagues in strikeouts. The swing and miss rate is why deGrom and Matz thrived in their starts.

Mets Problems

The Mets’ biggest issue through the first week of the season is their inability to plate runners in scoring position. They lead the league in strikeouts w/RISP but are one-hit behind the Dodgers the NL hits lead. While their average is not much better than the Mets, they have only struck out eight times in these situations. Emphasis on putting the ball in play will scratch out an extra 1-2 runs per game.

Manager Luis Rojas said Edwin Diaz is “no longer the closer” in every way possible without using those words. Diaz struggled mightily in his outing against the Red Sox. The Mets have plenty of options in the bullpen, and Seth Lugo has to be at the top of the list to close games. In situations where Rojas does not want to bring Lugo in on back-to-backs, Jeurys Familia or Dellin Betances will slide into the role. Diaz will not pitch in the first game of the series, but it will be interesting to see the next situation he pitches in.

Matchups to Lookout For:

Rick Porcello vs. Freddie Freeman: 5-for-11 (.455), RBI, 3 Walks, Strikeout

Sean Newcomb vs. Amed Rosario: 5-for-12 (.412), 2 Doubles, RBI, 3 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Freddie Freeman: 15-for-55 (.273), 2 Doubles, 3 Home Runs, 6 RBI, 8 Walks, 15 Strikeouts

Jacob deGrom vs. Ozzie Albies: 5-for-34 (.147), Double, RBI, Walk, 7 Strikeouts

Mike Soroka vs. Michael Conforto: 3-for-15 (.200), Walk, Strikeout