JACOB deGREAT
Ace keeps sizzling with another gem vs. Padres
Jacob deGrom delivers during his eight innings of two-run ball in the Mets’ 5-3 victory in San Diego. DeGrom allowed five hits, fanned eight and walked two — and tied a franchise record by winning his eighth straight start. Addison Reed survived a review of a near three-run homer for the save.
SAN DIEGO — The last man standing is stronger than ever and still stomping the opposition.
Jacob deGrom began this season belonging to a Mets rotation that also included Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Robert Gsellman. Eighty percent of that rotation now sits on the disabled list — Wheeler was placed there Monday with a stress injury to his right humorous — leaving deGrom to carry the torch.
In a third straight superb performance, the right-hander fired eight strong innings and carried the Mets to their fifth victory in six games, 5-3 over the Padres at Petco Park.
Now leading a rotation that includes Steven Matz, Seth Lugo, Rafael Montero and Chris Flexen (who will be promoted from Double-A Binghamton to make his major league debut on Thursday), deGrom remains the rotation’s rock.
As tempting as it might be for the Mets to dangle deGrom in a potential trade that could restock the farm system, it likely won’t happen as team officials look to reload for 2018 with a rotation that includes Syndergaard and deGrom atop the rotation.
DeGrom took a shutout into the seventh Monday that was promptly disrupted when Hunter Renfroe blasted a homer that landed on the roof of the warehouse behind the left-field fence. Overall, deGrom surrendered two runs on five hits and two walks over eight innings. Renfroe also homered in the ninth, against Addison Reed, before Jabari Blash missed a walk-off blast by inches — replay upheld that his shot into the right-field corner was foul. Reed struck out Blash before recording the final out with the tying runs on base.
The Mets couldn’t have asked for a better start to a 10-game road trip that will also include stops in Seattle and Colorado. By the time the Mets begin play at Coors Field next Tuesday, it’s likely at least one or two pieces will have been traded from a list that includes Reed, Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jay Bruce.
DeGrom (12-3) has won eight straight starts dating to June 12, a stretch in which he’s pitched to a 1.61 ERA. His only hiccup over that stretch was a start in St. Louis earlier this month in which he surrendered four homers over seven innings, but still won.
The Mets pounded lefty Clayton Richard, led by Bruce’s 2-for-5 performance with two RBIs and Wilmer Flores’ 10th homer of the season.
Travis d’Arnaud completed the Mets’ scoring with an RBI single in the eighth that put Richard in a 5-1 hole.
Bruce’s second RBI single of the night gave the Mets a 4-0 lead in the fifth. Michael Conforto doubled in the inning and Yoenis Cespedes was intentionally walked with two outs before Bruce delivered.
Cespedes and Bruce each delivered a run-scoring hit in the third, helping the Mets extend their lead to 3-0. Cespedes launched an RBI triple — barely missing a home run — before Bruce drove him in with a single. Cabrera started the rally with a one-out single.
Flores continued his recent surge with a homer leading off the second that gave the Mets their first run. Flores, who hit a walk-off homer Saturday that capped the Mets’ comeback from a five-run deficit, went 6-for-16 (.375) on the last homestand with two homers.
DeGrom struck out the first four batters of the game before walking Cory Spangenberg in the second and surrendering a single to Manuel Margot. But deGrom escaped that jam by getting Dusty Coleman to hit into an inning-ending double play.
SAN DIEGO — Zack Wheeler’s adventurous comeback season has a new twist.
On Monday the Mets righthander was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season, as he deals with soreness in his humerus bone. Wheeler was previously on the DL last month with biceps tendinitis.
“I am not going to be dumb and try to push something I think would hurt me after missing two full seasons — that would be stupid,” said Wheeler, who missed 2015 and ’16 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Chris Flexen will be promoted from Double-A Binghamton on Thursday to start in Wheeler’s spot. In seven starts for Binghamton, the 23-year-old righty is 6-1 with a 1.66 ERA and 0.72 WHIP.
Tyler Pill was summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday to give the Mets an extra bullpen arm until Flexen is added to the 25-man roster.
Wheeler, who is 3-7 with a 5.21 ERA, joins Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Robert Gsellman among the Mets starting pitchers on the DL.
“I expected bumps in the road coming back this year and it’s just unfortunate because everything else was awesome: elbow, shoulder, everything feels great and that’s why it’s frustrating for me,” Wheeler said.
Jose Reyes proved he’s still got his legs, swiping his 500th career base in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 5-3 win over the Padres on Monday night. Reyes became the 39th player in baseball history to reach the milestone.
The swipe came after he beat out a two-out, infield single and before racing home from second on a Travis d’Arnaud single.
The stolen base was Reyers’ 391st with the Mets, extending the franchise record he already held. David Wright is next on the list among active Mets with 196.
Amed Rosario returned to the lineup for Triple-A Las Vegas after missing the previous six games (he was hospitalized over the weekend with gastrointestinal discomfort and previously sustained a bruised index finger). He went 1for-4 with a double and two RBIs in a 6-4 loss to the Memphis Redbirds. Neil Walker (1-for-4 with a double and an RBI) and Brandon Nimmo (0-for4 with two strikeouts) were in the same lineup for Las Vegas. The Mets are hopeful Walker will return this week.
The Mets signed righthander Jonathan Albaladejo to a minor league contract and assigned him to Las Vegas. Albaladejo pitched for the Nationals, Yankees and Diamondbacks from 2007-’12 and until recently was property of the independent Bridgeport Bluefish.