Sometimes brilliance is taken for granted.

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has been brilliant and more. He allowed only one run and five hits with 11 strikeouts to help the Mets defeat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2. (box score). It was the Mets 6th straight win.

The Mets are 12-5 since the All-Star Break

Although deGrom did not get the win (as usual), he was superb. It was the 74th time in his career he’s allowed either one or no runs. Also, his 11 strikeouts passed David Cone for fifth place on the all-time Mets strikeout list.

Brilliant indeed.

The Mets scored three unearned runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead for good, and Diaz notched his 24th save for the win.

It was a compelling battle between deGrom and fellow All-Star Lucas Giolito, who also pitched well. Giolito had been struggling, but pitched at his best against the Mets.

Offense

The Mets managed six hits against the White Sox on Wednesday.

The White Sox and the Mets have a short history together. playing each other only 11 times since 2002. They have a tendency to play low scoring games and this contest started out in similar fashion.

In the first inning, Michael Conforto, who has homered in three straight games, drew a one-out walk. He was stranded there partly due to a Robinson Cano strikeout, notable because it increased Cano’s hitless streak to 22 at-bats, the longest 0-for in his career.

The Mets were the victims of a fine defensive play by Sox center fielder Leury Garcia. With Wilson Ramos on second and two outs, the streaking Amed Rosario, who is hitting .368 in July to lead the NL, stroked a sinking line drive to right-center that Garcia caught off the turf to keep the Mets off the board.

The next scoring chance the Mets came in the fifth. Todd Frazier led-off with a double that hit off the top of the center field wall to start the inning. But a line-out by Rosario and strikeouts by both Adeiny Hechavarria and Jeff McNeil stranded Frazier.

The Mets finally scored in the sixth. Conforto led off with a walk and went to third on a single by Cano. That single snapped Cano’s 0-23 streak at the plate. Ramos was next and he hit a slow roller to third baseman Ryan Goins. Goins threw home but Conforto slid around the tag of catcher James McCann to score the tying run as the game was now 1-1. For Ramos, the fielder’s choice netted him his 46th RBI of the year. The Mets could not plate more as J.D. Davis hit into an inning-ending double play.

New York did not get a hit in either the seventh or eighth inning

The Mets took the lead in the ninth off Chicago closer Alex Colome. The inning started innocently enough with a grounder from Wilson Ramos to shortstop Tim Anderson. Anderson bobbled the grounder and Ramos reached safely. Davis followed with a single to moving Ramos to second. Ramos was pinch-run for by Aaron Altherr. Frazier then singled to right, scoring Altherr to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. The Mets had been 0-7 with RISP prior to Frazier’s 42nd RBI.

Hechavarria, down 0-2 in the count, worked out a walk in an excellent at-bat. After a McNeil strikeout, Conforto stroked the hit of the game, a sharp single to right to plate Davis and Frazier to make the score 4-1. The single knocked out Colome in favor of Jimmy Cordero. Chicago’s third pitcher of the night retired Alonso on a ground-out.

Pitching

Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom made his 22nd start of the year on Wednesday.

DeGrom got through the first two innings unscathed, increasing his scoreless inning streak to 19. He worked around a double to Ryan Goins in the first and pitched a strong 1-2-3 inning in the second.

Jacob ran into trouble in the third inning giving up one run in a 26-pitch inning. The number nine hitter, Yolmer Sanchez, singled, fisting a ball to center field. Garcia followed with another soft single, this to right. Goins walked on four pitches to load the bases. The White Sox leader in RBIs, Jose Abreu, was next and he hit a fly ball to right that was caught by Conforto. The sacrifice fly gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead. It was Abreu’s 73rd RBI of the year. De Grom limited the damage to just one run as he stuck out Eloy Jimenez to end the frame.

The run allowed by deGrom broke his 19-inning consecutive scoreless streak. He recovered nicely in the fourth, getting the Sox in order.

In the fifth, deGrom struck out two as he retired the Sox 1-2-3. At this point in the game, Jacob had retired seven White Sox in a row.

Jacob deGrom made it ten Sox retired in a row as he was dealing like his Cy Young-winning self as he pitched a dominant sixth, striking out two in the frame. He had, to this point in the game, struck out seven of the last nine batters he faced.

The seventh inning would be deGrom’s last. Jon Jay and James McCann singled in the inning, but in typical deGrom fashion, Jacob worked his way out of trouble. He struck out two more in the frame to finish his night with 11. It was the seventh time this year, and the 39th time in his career that deGrom struck out ten or more in a game. His final line was: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 11 K, 116 pitches, 2.78 ERA.

Justin Wilson came in to pitch the eighth for New York. He wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the inning with an assist from second base umpire Stu Scheurwater. Goins led off with a single. One out later, Wellington Castillo walked as a pinch hitter. With runners on first and second. Jay followed with a grounder up the middle that hit Scheurwater. Each runner was allowed one base even though Goins raced home. He returned to third as the rule was enforced to load the bases. Tim Anderson grounded out to end the threat.

With the Mets scoring three unearned runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead, 4-1, Edwin Diaz came in to try for the save. Diaz gave up a home run to Garcia but that was it as he struck out the side to earn his 24th save.

On Deck

The Mets try for their second consecutive series sweep as they conclude their trip to the South Side with a matinee against the White Sox beginning at 2:10 PM. Zack Wheeler (7-6, 4.41 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets (as he is still a Met after not being dealt before the trade deadline). Wheeler will be making his second start after coming off the IL due to right shoulder fatigue. He was effective in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates but was limited to only 73 pitches.

Rookie Dylan Cease (1-3, 6.86 ERA) will be making his fifth lifetime start on Thursday for Chicago. After winning his debut against the Detroit Tigers on July 3, he has lost three straight starts. The 23-year-old has pitched to a bloated 7.31 ERA during the losses.

The game will be telecast on SNY and broadcast on WCBS 880-AM.