Jake Leaves Early, Mets Sweep D-Backs
Precautionary removal for deGrom ahead of the sixth following right-side tightness (again). Oh, and the Metsies won their fifth in a row!
Jacob deGrom entered his start on Sunday as the undisputed best pitcher in the universe with his 0.51 earned run average, 1.47 FIP, 15.17 strikeouts per nine innings, and 0.57 WHIP all leading the majors by healthy margins.
After missing his previously scheduled start on Tuesday with tightness in his right side, the 32-year-old returned to action at what appeared to be 100 percent.
He worked perfectly through the first two innings on just 19 pitches, benefitting from an outstanding catch via Michael Conforto to end the second.
Jake struck out two more in a flawless third, sitting 99 MPH with his four-seamer, and did all he could to get the Mets’ offense going in the bottom half.
James McCann — starting behind the plate again after playing on Saturday night — singled to lead off the frame and deGrom pushed a textbook bunt down the third baseline for his seventh hit of the season.
McNeil’s squib pushed both runners into scoring position, Francisco Lindor scored McCann from third with a sacrifice fly to left-centerfield (he gave it a ride) for the first run of the game and Michael Conforto went the other way to plate deGrom, putting the Mets ahead, 2-0.
Like a well-oiled machine.
As we’ve noted here many times over the last few weeks, once this team begins firing on all cylinders, they’re going to be a force. That transformation is currently taking place and it’s very exciting.
DeGrom finally cracked in the fifth, walking David Peralta to start the inning (his first baserunner) then gave a double to Stephen Vogt (his first hit allowed) before gifting another free pass to Eduardo Escobar to load the bases with none out.
No worries. Jake’s been here before. Maybe not this season, but over his career deGrom hadn’t allowed a hit in those situations (0-for-8, three strikeouts).
That streak continued as he induced a 4-4-3 double play via Nick Ahmed, conceding a run to cut the lead to 2-1.
Following another walk, this time to Daulton Varsho to put men on the corners with two gone, deGrom struck out pinch-hitter Christian Walker on a 99 MPH four-seam upstairs to end the threat.
The Arizona run that crossed was only the third earned run deGrom’s given up this season. Unreal.
Unfortunately, that high was to be short-lived. As deGrom was warming up for the sixth, he motioned for McCann, beckoning the Mets’ medical staff and Luis Rojas from the dugout, and, just like that, Jake’s day was over after five innings of one-run ball.
Jake’s body language and facial expressions caught by SNY (and kindly shared by America’s pitching coach, @PitchingNinja) weren’t very encouraging, but it was announced later in the game that deGrom left precautionarily due to the same right-side tightness that afflicted him earlier this week.
Miguel Castro abruptly took the reins and his command suffered early for it. He hit Pavin Smith with a pitch and walked Josh Rojas on four pitches to start his outing, but bounced back to retire the next three D-Backs in order.
Castro should have been a hockey player with skating skills like that [rimshot].
With the balloon of momentum all but deflated upon deGrom’s hasty exit, Castro’s magician act was a multi-layered lifeline when his team needed him the most. Keep the lead together and get that energy back up. Quintessential win-win.
New York extended their lead to 3-1 on Patrick Mazeika’s bases-loaded walk in the sixth. Only one run after packing the bags with one out (via no hits) wasn’t ideal, but it would be inconsequential.
The Mets tacked on another run in the seventh, with Dom Smith cashing in an Asdrubal Cabrera error on Lindor’s leadoff hot shot to third and Conforto’s second hit of the game with his first base hit of the series, scoring Lindor to make it a 4-1 game.
And the Mets’ bullpen, who has been terrific this season, pitching to a 3.07 ERA as a unit heading into Sunday (sixth in MLB; 2.1 fWAR is second in baseball), took us home.
Jacob Barnes ate up an inning-and-a-third in relief, allowing his first run since April 17 on Cabrera’s solo home run in the eighth. He’s been great. But maybe two innings was asking a lot.
Following a Rojas double, ending Barnes’ day, Edwin Diaz entered, hit Josh VanMeter with a 101.0 MPH fastball to the shin (ouch), and induced a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Peralta. They never said the road to a sweep was easy.
Diaz came back out for the ninth looking much more composed but the Mets still managed to nearly give it away.
Nick Ahmed’s would-be game-ending pop fly in front of the mound dropped in front of Villar, bringing Daulton Varsho to the plate as the tying run. We’d seen this one before. Maybe those days have really fallen by the wayside.
Diaz struck Varsho out to notch his first five-out save with the Mets, complete the weekend sweep, and send the Mets into their off-day on Monday on a five-game winning streak.
Happy Mother’s Day! LFGM
Subscribe to the free email list or become a paid subscriber below! Never any paywalls. Once it leaves my head, it’s yours. But if you want to pay me for my work, it’s greatly appreciated.