Jacob deGrom’s brilliance can’t magically kickstart offense

The Mets continued their recent streak of abysmal hitting, dropping the series finale to the Braves, 2-0 this afternoon at SunTrust Park. While the pitching remains excellent, the offensive blackout continues unabated.

Rookie Mike Soroka, just back from the disabled list, started for the Mets and kept the Mets hitless into the top of the seventh inning. This is Soroka’s second start against the Mets, and he flummoxed the lineup for the second straight time. Aside from a walk to Jay Bruce in the top of the second, Soroka didn’t allow a baserunner until the seventh, where Michael Conforto’s infield hit and a subsequent wild pitch chased Soroka from the game after six and a third innings.

Jacob deGrom started the game for the Mets, and was his usual dominant self, going seven innings, striking out seven, walking none, and giving up one run on seven hits. The sole run came in the fourth inning, where a Dansby Swanson double was followed up by a Freddie Freeman single, plating the first - and, it turns out, winning - run of the game.

deGrom’s day was relatively uneventful until the seventh in when, with one out, Ender Inciarte hit a single past Luis Guillorme, which he turned into a hustle double on Jay Bruce’s inaccurate throw. Inciarte got a little big for his britches and attempted to steal third, but deGrom coolly threw to Frazier, who tagged him out. The next batter, Johan Camargo, hit a long fly ball to right, which Bruce again muffed, but Camargo’s lack of speed or quality read led it to just be a double. deGrom struck out pinch hitter Preston Tucker to end the inning.

The Mets got a baserunner in the form of Dominic Smith, who walked with one out in the top of the eighth. After an Amed Rosario fly out, Jose Bautista pinch hit for Guillorme, striking out on five pitches.

Bautista would stay in the game at second base (?!), only his fifth ever major league inning there. Jerry Blevins entered the game and got Ozzie Albies to fly out and DSwanson to strike out. But then Freeman took him deep, because of course he did.

After a one-out walk to Michael Conforto, Todd Frazier struck out looking on a borderline strike from closer Arodys Vizcaino. Brandon Nimmo was the Mets’ last hope, and he responded by smacking a double to right field. With the tying runs on second and third, Jay Bruce hit a lazy pop up on the first pitch he saw to end the game with a thud.

The Mets begin a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow night. Matt Koch will start for the D-Backs, and Steven Matz will get no run support from the Mets.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
Talking Chop

Box scores

ESPN
MLB

Win Probability Added

Fangraphs.com

What’s WPA?

Big winners: Jacob deGrom, +21.9% WPA, Michael Conforto +11.7% WPA
Big losers: Jay Bruce, -17.5% WPA, Todd Frazier, -16.7% WPA, Kevin Plawecki, -15.6% WPA, Amed Rosario -13.2% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Brandon Nimmo’s ninth inning double, +8.0% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Jay Bruce’s utterly limp pop out to end the game, -11.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +16.1% WPA
Total batter WPA: -66.1% WPA
GWRBI!: Freddie Freeman, natch