The Texas Rangers rode Jacob deGrom out of the game early, surviving a late five-run Mets rally to snap their four-game losing streak with a 10-8 victory at Globe Life Park on Tuesday night.
In his last two outings, the designated ace has had major meltdowns on the mound. DeGrom gave up a career-high eight runs in four innings on a season-high 10 hits, failing to reach the fifth in consecutive starts for the first time in the big leagues.
After being banished to the dugout, the dejected deGrom was consoled by manager Terry Collins, trying to give his pitcher a clue as to why his once glorious game has gone awry.
“The two seamer’s not working right now, and he’s leaving balls right in the hitting area,” said Collins, who wanted to offer his struggling pitcher some reassurance.
The Mets offense gave their reeling righty plenty of chances to get back in it, but the three times they gave deGrom the lead, three times he gave it back. NY got homers from Juan Lagares, 4-for-5 in a rare start, Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker to build a 4-3 advantage in the third off former Mets righty Dillon Gee. But the Rangers answered back with seven unanswered runs, enough to stave off a raging rally in the ninth.
After Wilmer Flores led off with a soft line drive to right, Curtis Granderson and Travis d’Arnaud hit back-to-back dingers to get the Mets within two. But with nobody out and Lagares and Michael Conforto the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Cabrera and Jay Bruce failed to bring them home, as their struggles to produce with men in scoring position continues to haunt them.
A week and a half ago who would have thought that eight runs and 17 hits wouldn’t be enough to maintain a win with deGrom on the mound? There’s lots of mending that needs to be done, but there may not be lots of time to plug the holes in the Mets sinking ship.
