Jacob deGrom tossed seven strong innings against the Phillies on Friday, scattering four hits, allowing one unearned run and striking out five.
The young right-hander didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and was at his best during any hint of trouble when he’d reach back and pitch with some extra zip on his fastball. He recorded 16 of his 20 outs with his two and four seamer and commanded the lower part of the strike zone all night long. The kid has a lot of moxie.
“The location was really good all night with all of my pitches,” said deGrom who won his seventh game of the season and remains a top contender for the league’s rookie of the year award.
DeGrom has pitched at least six innings in 14 of his 18 starts this season, allowing just three runs or fewer in 13 of those contests.
Boasting an ERA+ of 119 and a 3.07 FIP, deGrom also leads all rookies in innings pitched and strikeouts while checking in with a 1.196 WHIP and a 2.94 ERA for the season.
It’s been quite a debut for deGrom who continues to shine and has entrenched himself in what’s shaping up to be a very formidable and young Mets rotation in 2015 and beyond.
(Joe D.)
August 29
Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said Jacob deGrom‘s stuff was not the issue in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but rather the overuse of his fastball.
“I’m very happy about the way he threw the baseball in LA,” Warthen said. “I wasn’t happy about his pitch selection.”
deGrom surrendered five runs and five hits over six innings of work in his return from the disabled list after battling rotator cuff tendinitis. The Rookie of the Year candidate threw 86 pitches, allowing a three-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez, inflating his ERA from 2.87 to 3.13.
Warthen explained that deGrom getting carried away with his fastball was “understandable” as he was throwing harder than he ever had in his career–topping 97mph–but said the key for the 26-year-old tonight is to utilize all of his pitches. He has no other concerns regarding deGrom.
“His stuff was better than it had been all year,” Warthen said. “He just kind of forgot how to pitch, and we talked about that.
