Defense helps Jacob deGrom have great outing
Juan Lagares of the Mets makes a catch during the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It appeared Juan Lagares had no chance to catch it, but he gave it everything he had.
With two outs in the seventh inning and Jacob deGrom pitching a no-hitter, Lagares tried to make a diving catch on a line drive smoked by Pablo Sandoval. The centerfielder came up way short, but deGrom was appreciative.
"I loved that," said deGrom, who allowed two runs and four hits in 71/3 innings in the Mets' 4-2 win over the Giants last night.
Lagares did contribute a spectacular catch earlier. He ended the second inning by making a lunging grab on the warning track of Brandon Belt's blast before his momentum forced him to collide with the wall.
DeGrom got other support, too. Eric Young Jr. caught Sandoval's leadoff drive in the fifth while sliding feet-first toward the wall in the leftfield corner. First baseman Lucas Duda made a diving grab in foul territory of Hunter Pence's pop-up in the sixth.
"At that point, we're always trying to do whatever we can to keep it going," Young said. "Juan made that catch . . . [and] I knew [my] ball was borderline and I knew I had to make an attempt for it."
Wright mired in slump
It's possible that David Wright's left shoulder still is bothering him, but Mets manager Terry Collins believes the third baseman's recent cold stretch has more to do with a "long swing."
Wright, who received a cortisone shot before the All-Star break, was 1-for-3 last night and is hitting .179 (11-for-56) since the break.
"I know he gets treatment on it," Collins said before the game. "I saw him in San Diego and he said he felt great. I haven't really gotten into it [with him] much."
Wright is hitting .271 with eight homers and 52 RBIs. His .390 slugging percentage is a career low.
"I'm concerned about the fact he's not hitting," Collins said. "I'm not sure about the physical side. Before he got hurt, he was slumping a little bit, too."
"Right now, I don't know if he's just trying to drive the ball, but his swing has got just a little long. He was in the cage [Friday] and he was in the cage earlier today trying to shorten it up."
