In the midst of what looks like is going to be another lost season for the Mets, Jacob deGrom has officially thrust himself into the elite of elite.

Despite the bleakness of the season, deGrom gives fanatics a reason to watch and get excited every fifth day, and he has seldom disappointed.

With that being said, tonight will surely be a clash of the titans, as deGrom is opposed by Clayton Kershaw.

The 30-year-old leads the league in ERA (1.51), ERA+ (250), FIP (1.98), and HR/9 (0.4). Overall he has allowed just 16 earned runs and punched out 120 batters in 95.1 innings pitched.

DeGrom has been electric all season and is in complete control each outing. In the last month (seven starts), he has pitched at least seven innings and has struck out at least seven batters. In two of those starts, he has struck out 13 batters apiece, and in three others, he has struck out eight.

This is what ESPN had to say about the right-hander’s last time out against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field:

“DeGrom was absolutely nasty, as he induced 24 swinging strikes and 12 groundballs to shut down Colorado at Coors Field. His slider was the money pitch, as it induced nine swinging strikes and seven outs in play on just 34 offerings. He pounded the strike zone too, with 19 first-pitch strikes to 29 hitters, and when he’s ahead in the count, deGrom’s fastball-slider combination puts hitters in an almost impossible situation.”

Now on to perhaps the best pitcher of the last decade, Clayton Kershaw.

Unfortunately for the southpaw, he has pitched in just eight games so far this season as his year has been hampered by injury. He has been sidelined since May 31, where he went five innings and allowed one run against the Philadelphia Phillies.

He will return tonight for his first start in nearly a month and only third start since May 1. On the year, Kershaw has a 1-4 record with a 2.76 ERA, 139 ERA+, 3.47 FIP and 1.122 WHIP.

While he hasn’t been in classic Kershaw form this year, make no mistake, he is still one of the best pitchers in the game.

Here’s some quick hits on both our opposing aces tonight:

  • Jacob deGrom has allowed one earned run or less in 10 of his last 11 starts. He had a franchise-record eight straight starts allowing one or fewer runs from April 21-June 2. He has allowed one run or less in 56 of his 122 career starts (46 percent).
  • DeGrom leads the majors with a 1.51 ERA. He’s third in the NL and ninth in the majors with 120 strikeouts, third in the NL in WHIP (0.99) and leads the NL and is second in the majors with a .535 OPS.
  • Jacob deGrom as allowed four earned runs in his last 33.0 innings at home (1.09 ERA). DeGrom owns a 2.24 career ERA at Citi Field over 60 starts. That is the second-lowest home ERA among active pitchers with 300 or more innings at home. Clayton Kershaw is first (2.07 ERA).
  • The only time Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw have started vs. one another was Game 1 of the 2015 NLDS at Dodger Stadium. DeGrom earned the win, working 7.0 shutout innings and racking up 13 strikeouts. Kershaw took the loss, allowing three runs over 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts. The Mets won, 3-1.
  • Kershaw is 8-0 with a 1.84 ERA (17 earned runs/83.1 innings) with 94 strikeouts in 12 career regular season starts vs. the Mets. However, he went 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA (four earned runs/13.2 innings) in the 2015 NLDS, including losing a Game 1 match-up to Jacob deGrom at Dodger Stadium.

So, deGrom versus Kershaw. Who have you got?