Jacob deGrom didn’t start last night because GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins believe he’s been off his last two starts – 13 runs on 25 hits – due to fatigue.
Let’s hope they are right, because if it is anything else the Mets might be sunk. It’s staggering to think any pitcher could be tagged like that, much less deGrom.
From his perspective, deGrom initially said he didn’t feel tired, but later admitted the rest could help. It certainly couldn’t hurt.
DeGrom said he’s physically fine, with no residual effects from a strained lat muscle that briefly sidelined him early in the season. DeGrom is still throwing high heat.
So, why is he pitching like his double in the Geico commercial?
Of the three, velocity, command and movement, deGrom knows throwing hard is the least important.
“It’s hard to get results when you throw everything right down the middle,” deGrom said after getting ripped in his last start in St. Louis. “That’s what it is. I’m missing down the middle and these are big league hitters and that’s what they do.”
If deGrom misses when throwing inside, the pitch tails over the middle. If he’s aiming for the outside corner, it just sits there.
Pitching is all about location, and lately deGrom is living in a bad neighborhood. Hopefully, this extra rest relocates him back to his peak level of performance.
