Jacob deGrom 6 scoreless innings 10 strikeouts in Mets win

Do they really want to push him before the playoffs?

Jacob deGrom doesn’t argue. He doesn’t attempt to negotiate. When pitching coach Jeremy Hefner delivers the news of how many pitches the Mets will allow deGrom to throw in a start, deGrom simply accepts it. He understands what it would look like if he successfully lobbied for more and then hurt himself again. So for now, deGrom keeps quiet.

On Saturday, that meant pitching only six innings in a 1-0 win over the Phillies at Citi Field, despite featuring near-unhittable stuff for the third time in three outings since returning from the injured list. It meant throwing only 76 pitches—the same amount he did six days earlier against the Braves—and then watching from afar as relievers Seth Lugo, Trevor May and (an uncharacteristically shaky version of) Edwin Díaz did the rest.

Mets officials insist there will come a day later this season when the limitations on deGrom disappear. deGrom himself believes it can happen within his next couple of starts.

Fangraphs: Jacob deGrom Is Back

For once, the Mets backed deGrom with some early offense. One of the strange quirks of his dominance is that it came in games where his team hardly scored, and over 91 starts from 2018 through ’21, he went only 32–21. Watch a deGrom start in those years, and it always felt like a 2–1 game in the seventh. He was masterful — and he had to be.

This year’s Mets might change that narrative; they’re fourth in baseball in runs scored per game, a far cry from the light-hitting days of recent past. They hardly needed the pitching help; they’re allowing the fourth-fewest runs in the majors this season. Adding the best pitcher in baseball — and after his two starts, I feel comfortable saying deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball again — surely won’t hurt.

Yesterday’s game ended without further scoring after Swanson’s homer, a 5–2 Mets victory. That was the last of a five-game set against Atlanta that the Mets took handily, giving them a 6.5-game lead in the NL East; per our playoff odds, they’ve eclipsed a 90% chance of winning the division. For the first time since a 2015 run to the World Series, we might be seeing deGrom in the playoffs a few months hence.

That’s assuming health, which feels sadly tenuous. Watching deGrom elicits awe, but it also elicits worry. How can his arm stand it? How can he throw so hard so consistently? Will his body continue to betray him in new ways? He’s pushing the limits of his craft, honing each pitch to a gleaming sheen and overpowering lineups with it. I’m imploring you: watch his next start. The one after that is never guaranteed, and the multi-year run he’s on is rare even in the great sweep of baseball’s history.

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom to miss significant time with stress reaction in shoulder

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom will miss Opening Day after an imaging test showed a stress reaction in his right scapula.

In a statement, the Mets said deGrom won’t throw for up to four weeks and then will be re-evaluated.

DeGrom, 33, is widely regarded as the best pitcher in baseball. In 15 starts last season, he posted a 1.08 ERA and in 92 innings struck out 146 batters and walked just 11. But a variety of injuries caused him to miss starts, and elbow pain sidelined him for the entire second half.

The scapula, or shoulder blade, is a vital bone in the pitching process. Stress reactions, which are injuries to bones typically brought on by repeated movement, are rare in pitchers’ shoulders. Typically, stress reactions are healed through rest.