Jacob deGrom puts up a stinker as Mets lose to Marlins

Before last night, the Mets’ saving grace this season had been that they were undefeated against the very bad Marlins. But in a game that looked on paper like it should have gone very easily, they fell behind early and could not quite complete a comeback attempt late.

Jacob deGrom, who had been outstanding in his first two starts against the Marlins this year, was just plain bad in this one. His defense didn’t do him any favors—an error by Todd Frazier and one overly-aggressive play in the outfield each by Juan Lagares and Carlos Gomez contributed to some of the runs he allowed—but he also wasn’t his usual dominant self in the other parts of his start.

In total, it took deGrom 104 pitches to complete five innings, and he gave up seven runs, six of which were earned. He gave up nine hits to a team that collectively had a batting line that was comparable to that of the Mets’ pitching staff this year. And he struck out just three batters in the process.

The Mets did at least make things interesting late. Having gotten their first run early in the game on a Pete Alonso solo shot, they drew closer on a J.D. Davis two-run home run in the seventh. And after Paul Sewald gave up a run in the seventh, they scored three in the top of the eighth, though even that felt like a big missed opportunity. With two of those runs already in, they had the bases loaded and got a pop out from Davis, a sac fly from Brandon Nimmo, and a strikeout from Jeff McNeil to end that threat.

These things happen, even to good teams. It’s just not feeling the Mets, now 20-23, are a good team. But it was fun to dream on a scenario, unrealistic though it may have been, in which the Mets went 19-0 against the Derek Jeter Marlins this year and helped put the Marlins in the history books as the team that breaks the 1962 Mets’ record for futility.

The Marlins can still do that. The Mets can still help the cause. But wouldn’t it have been nice?

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What’s WPA?

Big winners: Todd Frazier, +11.6% WPA, Juan Lagares, +10.2% WPA
Big losers: Jacob deGrom, -36.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -36.3% WPA
Total batter WPA: -13.7% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Pete Alonso hits a solo home run in the top of the second, +11.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Someone named Garrett Cooper hits a two-run single in the third, -14.9% WPA