Mets support Jacob deGrom, who fans 10 to beat Braves in his first victory of the season
Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom works during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore
It’s been a long wait for something to go right for the Mets. It finally happened Monday night.
Jacob deGrom turned in another good performance, the offense at last provided some run support and the relief corps managed to hold a lead as the Mets earned a 7-2 win over the Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta and ended their losing streak at five games.
“It’s huge. Any time you can snap a losing streak like that to get back on the right side of things, it’s big,” Michael Conforto said. “We are a much better team than a team that goes out there and loses five straight . . . We just have too many good players.”
“That’s a great win,” manager Luis Rojas said. “We needed something like this to happen to build off of it.”
Yes, many things went right for the Mets. Robinson Cano’s two-run single highlighted a four-run third inning. DeGrom struck out 10 in six innings of two-run ball. Wilson Ramos had a two-run homer in a three-RBI performance. And Jared Hughes threw two scoreless innings in his Mets debut.
But things went wrong, too. The Mets saw three starters felled by injuries. Leftfielder Jeff McNeil was scratched moments before first pitch with back tightness. Shortstop Amed Rosario had to leave the game right after the four-run rally for a 4-0 lead with tightness in his left quadriceps after running to first on a groundout. And Cano, who had two hits and three RBIs as he extended his hitting streak to seven games, exited in the middle of the fifth with left groin tightness.
Asked his level of concern, Rojas said, “We have to see how they come in tomorrow . . . Hopefully, it’s nothing major with our guys.”
Braves ace Mike Soroka also was injured in the game, suffering a right Achilles tendon tear while trying to cover first base in the third inning. He is lost for the season.
The Mets’ five hits with runners in scoring position helped deGrom earn his first win. He allowed five hits and one walk. He also showed midseason endurance with 104 pitches.
The righthander’s fastball touched 100 mph and he combined it with a tight slider and a well-timed curve. “I really consider it my fourth-best pitch,” he said of the curve, “but I had a really good feel for everything early in the game, so I mixed it in . . . for mainly the speed difference.”
Rosario started the third-inning rally with a single to left that was misplayed by Marcell Ozuna for two extra bases. Brandon Nimmo’s walk was followed by a run-scoring single to left by Michael Conforto. Pete Alonso drew the second of his three walks and Cano ripped a single to left to drive in two. Ramos added an RBI single.
Cano singled in another run in the fourth for a 5-0 lead, raising his average to .412 before coming out.
Ramos’ first homer, in the fifth, gave the Mets a 7-0 lead.
Former Met Travis d’Arnaud hit the first homer off deGrom this season to start a two-run Atlanta fifth. The Braves threatened to get back in the game, but the Mets’ bullpen kept them from doing so.
Justin Wilson got Freddie Freeman to ground out and end Jeurys Familia’s bases-loaded jam in the seventh. Then came Hughes, who signed as a free agent in June. He hadn’t pitched for the Mets because he tested positive for COVID-19 in July.
The sinkerballer erased a leadoff walk with a double play in the eighth and pitched around a one-out walk in the ninth to finish things.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
