Jacob deGrom solid as Mets snap five-game losing streak
New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning in an MLB baseball game at Citi Field. Sept. 10, 2017. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
ATLANTA — Jacob deGrom established career highs in wins and innings pitched Saturday night as the Mets beat the Braves, 7-3, to end their losing streak at five games.
The righthander allowed one run in seven innings and earned his 15th victory, surpassing the 14 wins he recorded in 2015 as he helped the Mets win the National League pennant. He also pushed his regular-season innings count to 195 1⁄3, eclipsing the 191 innings he threw in 2015.
But in a lost season doomed by the health woes of a much-hyped starting rotation, deGrom paid little mind to his win total and underscored the importance of logging the innings.
“The plan for next year is hopefully everybody’s healthy, to go to a World Series again,” he said. “So I think getting to this amount of innings is something that I want to do in the next few years. Getting there and seeing what it’s like is definitely a big plus for me this year.”
DeGrom is positioned to reach the 200-inning plateau for the first time in his career. He has long regarded that as a personal goal.
“I know he wants to be known as one of the best in the game,” manager Terry Collins said. “The only way to do that is to stay out there and pitch a lot of innings.”
DeGrom (15-7, 3.55 ERA) held the Braves to five hits and two walks, striking out seven. In his previous six starts, he went 1-4 with a 5.35 ERA, raising questions about whether he was experiencing fatigue. But his results Saturday night indicated otherwise.
“My mechanics were the closest to where I want them to be,” he said.
After fumbling for his command in the first inning, deGrom hit his stride. At one point, he retired 10 of 11 batters, with his fastball regularly touching 98 mph. The only damage came in the sixth when Freddie Freeman hit an opposite-field solo homer.
Notes & quotes: Rookie first baseman Dominic Smith continued his September hot streak, going 2-for-4, including a two-run double. Smith is hitting .315 with five doubles and 14 RBIs in 15 games this month . . . Asdrubal Cabrera went 1-for-4 and extended a hitting streak in which he’s batting .514 to 10 games . . . Closer AJ Ramos allowed two runs in his first outing since Sept. 8 . . . Juan Lagares got thrown out after taking off too early on a safety squeeze in the second . . . Gavin Cecchini set a career high with three hits and knocked in a pair of runs . . . Travis d’Arnaud (twisted right knee) and Amed Rosario (tight left hip flexor) returned to the starting lineup after being pulled with injuries on Thursday.
