No deCision
Mets win, but it’s too late for Jake
Forget about the Cy Young. Put Jacob deGrom in the conversation for MVP.
No, the Mets ace won’t seriously be considered for the league’s top award, though it wouldn’t be that far out of the question if he weren’t, well, a Met. Not only did deGrom throw six innings of one-run ball against a dangerous Dodgers lineup, striking out six, he also had two hits and the only RBI until pinch hitter Brandon Nimmo launched a three-run home run in the ninth inning to salvage a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles.
The victory snapped a 12game losing streak to the Dodgers, the last win com- ing when David Wright was in the lineup.
Still, not a victory for deGrom, although the pitcher, always quick to deflect praise onto his teammates, would never express frustration about that.
“I’m out there trying to put this team in a position to win, and I don’t like giving up runs. I’ve said that before,” deGrom said. “We were able to get a win tonight, I kept us in the ballgame and Nimmo came up with a big home run there.”
For those doing the book at home, deGrom gave up two hits and one run on the mound. At the plate, he had two hits and accounted for one run. In his last start against the Cubs, deGrom also had two hits and an RBI while allowing just one run over eight innings. MVP? Maybe it’s not so crazy with him doing it all every time he’s in the lineup. Only the Mets, as they are wont to do, gave him no run support. He remains stuck with a .500 record and only eight wins, two fewer than rotation mate Noah Syndergaard, whose ERA is over three and who missed a good portion of the season with stints on the disabled list.
Despite the numbers, deGrom was not quite as sharp Monday night as he so often has been this season. It took him 109 pitches to get through six innings, due in part to a laborious sixth inning against the meat of L.A.’s lineup.
But the moments when deGrom shows why he’s a leading candidate for the Cy Young come when he’s not at his best, when he needs to work to wiggle out of jams. That’s when he goes into another gear. In that sixth inning, the ace threw 36 pitches as the feisty Dodger hitters fought off everything deGrom had in his arsenal. Justin Turner worked a 12 pitch at-bat before reaching on an error by Amed Rosario at shortstop. Then deGrom struck out slugger Manny Machado in a seven-pitch at-bat before Max Muncy worked the count full and then grounded out to second base.
He couldn’t make it beyond that inning, but deGrom had already done his fair share of damage, singling home Jay Bruce in the fifth inning to tie the game at one after he had given up a home run to Turner in the first inning.