The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Jacob deGrom shines in shutout win
NEW YORK — No big league pitcher has been better in the sun than Mets ace Jacob deGrom.
Given a rare bit of firstinning run support, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner shined as expected.
DeGrom pitched seven innings of fourhit ball after teammates gifted him an unprecedented early lead and New York beat the San Diego Padres 40 Thursday.
Todd Frazier hit a tworun double as New York built a fourrun lead in its first turn against Eric Lauer, the most runs the Mets have scored in the first inning during deGrom’s 160 starts.
“That was nice,” deGrom said. “But every time I go out there I try to think of it as a 00 baseball game.”
DeGrom (67) struck out nine and walked one on 105 pitches in the matinee, extending his scoreless streak to 17 innings. The ace from the Sunshine State has a 1.86 ERA in 52 day games, best in the majors since at least 1913 for pitchers with at least 200 innings.
Mets closer Edwin Diaz entered for the ninth in a nonsave situation and was pulled after Manny Machado drilled a base hit off his left big toe. Diaz limped off the field with a trainer and was replaced by Luis Avilan. Xrays were negative.
The Padres have lost nine of 12, a slump that likely has dropped them out the crowded wildcard race. Lauer (58) was pulled after 2 innings with four runs allowed on six hits and three walks.
DeGrom danced around bats with a slider averaging 91.8 mph. He threw the pitch 58 times, eight more than his previous career high in a 10strikeout game
against Philadelphia on July 5.
Manager Mickey Callaway called it “probably the best” slider in baseball.
DeGrom got 12 whiffs with the breaking pitch, including one by Francisco Mejia in the second that wobbled the rookie, buckled his left ankle and nearly caused him to fall over.
“That was probably my best slider of the day,” said a smiling deGrom.
New York gave deGrom a little help on defense, too. Shortstop Amed Rosario — tied for worst among shortstops with minus15 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs — made two flashy plays, including a diving stop on Luis Urias’ grounder to end the seventh.
Frazier had two hits and two walks to bust out of a 1for18 slump. The veteran spent an hour Wednesday night watching tape of himself from earlier in his career and was in the batting cage at 7 a.m.
“Had to go back to the drawing board,” he said.
Four Padres relievers combined for 62⁄3scoreless
innings after the bullpen pitched five scoreless frames to close out a 72 win Wednesday night.
Machado had three hits and Mejia had two, accounting for all five of San Diego’s hits.
BACK AT IT
About 12 hours after making several miscues in left field, the Mets’ Dominic Smith was back in the outfield Thursday morning fielding line drives and grounders. A natural first baseman, Smith has been trying to learn the outfield on the fly as New York attempts to get him and AllStar first baseman Pete Alonso in the lineup. He was held out of the lineup with the lefthanded Lauer on the mound.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: AllStar Jeff McNeil was held out of the lineup to rest. He pinchhit for deGrom in the seventh and grounded out.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Zack Wheeler (66, 4.69) is set to pitch against the Pirates, his first start since July 7 after dealing with a shoulder impingement.