Jacob deGrom carved through the San Diego Padres lineup in the Mets 5-3 victory on Monday en route to his eighth consecutive win.
The 29-year-old allowed just two runs in the outing, a home run to Hunter Renfroe in the eighth inning and an RBI double from Carlos Asuaje in the eighth.
Despite a shaky ninth inning where Addison Reed nearly allowed a walk-off three-run home run to Jabari Blash, the Mets held on to seal the win, as deGrom improved to 12-3 on the campaign with a 3.30 ERA.
He became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to record eight straight wins, joining Tom Seaver, David Cone and Bobby Jones who also accomplished the feat.
DeGrom was reportedly upset with the two runs he allowed in the final two frames, reminiscent of how Matt Harvey was when he first came up to the big leagues.
According to Mets manager Terry Collins, deGrom was also dealing with ankle discomfort early in the game but powered through.
“It kind of bothered me from the start. I didn’t really know what was going on,” deGrom said. “It felt fine all week. It didn’t affect me — I just tried not to run as hard to first after my first at-bat. Other than that, it was fine.”
During his eight game win streak since June 12, deGrom has allowed just 11 runs in 61 2/3 innings, a 1.61 ERA.
“He’s really good. He’s really good,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “A couple of years ago, he was as good as there was in the league. Last year, he had the injury. There are people who have a knack for things. This guy has a knack for how to pitch.”
He has a feel for it on the mound, an idea how to get you out. For a guy who was a shortstop for long time and went to the mound, he’s a street-smart pitcher,” Collins concluded.
With the eight inning performance, deGrom joined Nationals ace Max Scherzer as the only pitcher in baseball to go eight in six starts this season.
The outing was just another day at the office for the right-hander, who is averaging 7 2/3 innings per start over his streak and has been the rock in a rotation beleaguered by injuries.
Zack Wheeler was placed on the disabled list prior to game time yesterday, but deGrom continues to be the foundation and ace of the Mets rotation.
“I try not to put any extra pressure on myself,” deGrom said. “I just want to go out there and keep us in a position to win.”
