The Mets, even with their ongoing sputtering offense, are a different team without Jacob deGrom. One turn, two turns lost, it doesn’t matter.
If the Mets MVP isn’t and will always be Jacob deGrom, please tell me another one, and I’ll wait for a rebuttal.
Like every team, the Mets look forward to that one guy in their rotation who, but for an act of God, is sure to deliver an outing that ensures they’ll be “in the game.”
Whether it be Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Shane Bieber (Indians), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), or Max Scherzer (Nationals), they’re all one of the same ilk – reliable, consistent, competitive, and always on the prowl for a win.
Jacob deGrom remains on the IL, and the question facing the Mets today is whether they should turn him loose or have him make a start, perhaps at Triple-A Syracuse, where he can test things out before facing major league hitters again.
It is a weighty decision that can affect the entire season for the Mets if things go awry, and deGrom suffers a setback either way,
Mets Holding Down The Fort
In deGrom’s absence, it’s not that the Mets starters have faltered (David Peterson‘s seven-inning effort on Friday was a gem), and Marcus Stroman, save for the home-run ball was adequate), with a disastrous bullpen game in between, as much as it’s the team cannot look forward to the “Stopper” tonight to squash a three game-skid and a sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tonight in Atlanta, Taijuan Walker (3-1, 2.20) goes against the Brave’s Max Fried (1-1, 6.55) in a game that should be reserved for Jacob deGrom, the Cy Young candidate, and “pick us up” magician who carries a baseball in his hand.
It’s not as though Walker, who has been a Godsend this year, doesn’t have the ability to shut the door on the Braves; it’s more a question of whether or not he capable of picking up a team that is down with a rash of injuries, and taking the load onto his shoulders as we know deGrom would do.
A look at the current stable of Mets on the Injured List (IL) gives pause to a team that needs a lift from somewhere:
And that, of course, doesn’t account for the absence of Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco, both of whom are not expected to rejoin the Mets until sometime in June.
Mets Are At The Top – Can They Hold It?
The benefit of a seven-game win streak by the Mets has kept them safely ensconced in first place in the National League East Standings.
But as their schedule rolls through Atlanta and then the Florida Marlins before returning home for what should be a four-game break against the Colorado Rockies – and then the Atlanta Braves again – there can be a pause to wonder if the Mets can hold on to what they’ve got.
According to reports earlier today, Mets manager Luis Rojas has no idea who will pitch tomorrow night against the Braves. Among the choices he mentioned are Joey Lucchesi, whose poor appearance Saturday led to a limited number of pitches, Thomas Szapucki, and Thomas Szapucki, but the only thing anyone knows it will not be Jacob deGrom.
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reports deGrom could return Friday vs. the Miami Marlins.
The Mets haven’t ruled out sending deGrom on a rehab assignment, but (manager Luis) Rojas said he wants to make sure his ace is healthy before making the announcement official. deGrom, who exited his May 9 start against the D-backs after five innings, played light catch before Sunday’s game against the Rays at Tropicana Field. He is scheduled to throw off a slope Monday and have a bullpen session Tuesday.
That would be golden, but in the meantime, the Mets are in a scramble to keep their heads above water, and it all begins tonight in Atlanta.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Danny Clay How’s that, they won 7 straight where he pitched in just one game.
Jeff Martin The Mets hitters are streaky… They’ve been that way since 2016… That’s why the team is streaky… They’ll win a bunch and then lose a bunch. If they hit – they win – (More often than not, they get good pitching.) The current slide is not a surprise to me…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
