Jacob deGrom

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob deGrom and Jerad Eickhoff both took the mound on Monday night as the New York Mets (37-30) hosted the Atlanta Braves (34-37) at Citi Field for a doubleheader.

DeGrom entered Game 1 of the twin bill with question marks surrounding his health status. The two-time Cy Young Award winner left his last two starts early due to two different health concerns.

On June 11 he left after six innings of one-hit ball due to right flexor tendinitis. In his last start on June 16, he left after three perfect innings due to right shoulder soreness. Although deGrom indicated on Sunday that he was good to pitch Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Mets did not confirm him as starter until re-evaluating him on Monday.

DeGrom instantly shrugged off any shoulder soreness concerns in the first inning as he used eight pitches to retire the side 1-2-3. He picked up a couple of strikeouts including a three-pitch strikeout of Ronald Acuna Jr. to start the game.

In the second, deGrom replicated his first inning results by striking out two in a perfect inning. During the inning, deGrom relied on his slider more, throwing seven of his 13 pitches for sliders.

The Braves managed to get a runner on during the third as opposing pitcher Kyle Muller worked out an eight-pitch walk. However, that was after deGrom got the first two batters to line out and ground out, respectively. DeGrom then closed the book on the inning by getting Acuna to strike out swinging at a 99.2 mph four-seamer.

The fourth inning was also fairly effortless from deGrom. He got Freddie Freeman to fly out on three pitches, struck out Ozzie Albies on four pitches and induced a groundball from Abraham Almonte on six pitches.

The fifth inning was as much of a struggle as one can expect from deGrom in 2021. After getting the first two batters out on a pair of flyouts, deGrom allowed a walk and a double to put runners at first and third. However, it only took the best pitcher in baseball one mere 100 mph four-seam fastball to get Pablo Sandoval to pop out to end the inning.

DeGrom was filthy as usual and limited the Braves to one hit and two walks, while striking out six batters across five innings. He picked up his seventh win of the season, lowered his MLB-best ERA to 0.50 and extended his scoreless innings streak to 30.

Jun 21, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jerad Eikhoff (43) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In Game 2 of the doubleheader, Jerad Eickhoff had the tough task of following deGrom’s act. What made it more difficult was that he was making his debut with the Mets and making his first MLB appearance since June 2019.

Things did not start out smoothly for Eickhoff either. Instead of striking out Acuna on three 100 mph pitches, Eickhoff surrendered a leadoff double to the two-time silver slugger. After getting Freeman to pop out, he then walked Albies and Almonte to load the bases with one out. Eickhoff was able to get out of the inning unscathed by striking out Austin Riley and getting Dansby Swanson to ground out.

Following a shaky first inning, Eickhoff started to settle down. He got through the second inning by limiting the Braves to no hits and a walk.

Eickhoff started the third off well too, as he struck out Freeman to kick things off. He followed that up by getting Albies to ground out before allowing a single to Almonte. Eickhoff got out of the third by tossing a couple of 89 mph four-seamers to Riley, who lined out on the latter one.

The Mets only sent Eickhoff out for one more inning, but he did not disappoint. After allowing a leadoff single to Swanson, Eickhoff got William Contreras to ground into a force out, Guillermo Heredia to pop out and Ian Anderson to strike out on three straight sliders.

In his four innings of work, Eickhoff provided the Mets with four shutout innings and limited the Braves to three hits and three walks, while striking out three. Although the Mets fell to the Braves 1-0, Eickhoff gave the Mets exactly what they could have hoped for from a pitcher making his first start in two years.