Jacob deGrom has allowed 15 earned runs in his last two starts. That’s a sentence I never thought I’d have to type during my tenure on this site.

After allowing seven runs on eight hits in his last start, deGrom allowed eight runs on ten hits in last night’s game against the Rangers. Each start only lasted 4.0 innings and while he was able to strike out six batters in his last start, he wasn’t fooling anybody Tuesday night as he could only muster two strikeouts.

“A lot of balls right down the middle,” deGrom said after the game. “Like I said last time, bad outing, that’s on me. Gotta be better than that.”

There could be many reasons why an ace would have problems like this, but the most likely explanation is a mechanical issue. That is what deGrom cited as a possible explanation for his pitching woes, however he didn’t use it as an excuse.

“My front side is still flying open, but I’ve been able to pitch with that before,” deGrom said.

To his credit, the Mets defense was far from impressive behind deGrom. While they didn’t make any errors, there were at least four plays that could have – and probably should have – been made that led to runs.

Regardless of the defense, however, there are some other concerning factors. One of the things deGrom has always been good at is getting outs despite not having his best stuff. In his last two starts he has not been able to, and while he’s had many solid starts, his 2017 is becoming an outlier. His 4.75 season ERA is easily the highest of his career, but don’t think that these two starts are the only concerning numbers.

In 2014, deGrom’s ERA in shutdown innings (the half inning after the Mets scored) was 2.23. It got even better in 2015with a 1.72 mark. 2016 was higher but still respectable with a 3.78 mark, but that number has skyrocketed in 2017 with an ERA of 5.48 in shutdown innings. The historically clutch deGrom has not been able to get outs when he’s had to. If mechanics are to blame, specifically flying open with his front side, that is something that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.