The Mets finally won their first series since mid-May, winning two out of three against the last place Padres. Of course the one loss in the series came with Jacob deGrom on the mound, but that’s just the way this season has gone for the ace.
Coming off a solid All-Star appearance, deGrom took to the mound for his first start in the second half and he came out firing. He struck out two in the first and looked dominant early on. Shockingly the Mets even handed him a slim 1-0 lead, but as is usually the case during deGrom starts, the good feelings did not last long. Jose Bautista and Amed Rosario both made errors that cost deGrom runs.
Even among another frustrating game shocking stats like this emerge:
Are you guys ready for an insane stat? Like, I had to check twice to make sure it was real, insane?
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) July 24, 2018
Jacob deGrom just allowed runs in consecutive innings for the first time this season. It's July 23.
Perhaps it isn’t so shocking considering how impressive deGrom has been with runners in scoring position. Batters are now hitting just .126/.212/.184 with a .396 OPS in RBI situations. deGrom got into a bit of trouble and loaded the bases against San Diego but once again he got out of it and still has not given up a hit with the bases full this season.
DeGrom still hasn't allowed a hit with the bases loaded this season (14 PAs). He is six days away from going a calendar year without allowing one.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) July 24, 2018
This was deGrom’s seventeenth straight start where he allowed three earned runs or fewer, and after a couple shaky (by his insane standards) starts against the Dodgers and Marlins, the ace has turned it up a notch in July. He has pitched eight innings in every start so far this month, giving up just three earned runs while striking out twenty-five.
deGrom pitching eight innings, striking out ten, and giving up two earned runs against the Padres did feel a little bit like a let down considering how good he looked and how the game could’ve gone if he had a smidgen of defense played behind him.
Unfortunately for deGrom, Aaron Nola appears to be emerging as a serious contender for the Cy Young and the Phillies are giving him support to back it up. Max Scherzer is having yet another dominant season and still has the notoriety on the national stage as evidenced by John Smoltz casually mentioning Scherzer as the presumed winner of the award during the All-Star Game.
Even with Nola charging hard, deGrom still leads the world in ERA, his 2.27 FIP and otherworldly 222 ERA+ are both tops in the National League, and he is among the leaders in almost all other major categories.
deGrom vs. the NL Cy Young field
Pitcher | IP | ERA | K | BB | WHIP | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | IP | ERA | K | BB | WHIP | WAR |
Jacob deGrom | 131.1 | 1.71 | 159 | 32 | 0.97 | 6.0 |
Aaron Nola | 134.0 | 2.42 | 136 | 37 | 0.99 | 6.0 |
Max Scherzer | 140.2 | 2.43 | 189 | 35 | 0.92 | 5.7 |
Miles Mikolas | 124.1 | 2.82 | 89 | 22 | 1.07 | 2.9 |
Ross Stripling | 100.0 | 2.43 | 114 | 14 | 1.10 | 2.9 |
Jacob deGrom still matches up well among other special seasons in Mets’ history. Even though his innings pitched is behind the others, his strikeouts and walks compare favorably.
deGrom vs. Mets history
Pitcher (Year) | IP | ERA | K | BB |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher (Year) | IP | ERA | K | BB |
Jacob deGrom (2018) | 131.1 | 1.71 | 159 | 32 |
Matt Harvey (2013) | 137.0 | 2.23 | 157 | 28 |
R.A. Dickey (2012) | 139.1 | 2.97 | 139 | 30 |
Dwight Gooden (1985) | 155.2 | 1.68 | 153 | 43 |
Tom Seaver (1973) | 160.2 | 2.02 | 138 | 37 |
deGrom still has a long way to go, but he is still positioned nicely to grab the coveted award for pitchers at the end of the season, wins notwithstanding.