Coming into this season it was reported everywhere as if the Mets starting staff was untouchable. No flaw, issues or anything to be concerned of. Injuries have riddled a staff who will now be looked upon to help carry this team to a second consecutive playoff birth.
“[The rotation] is probably not as good as it was expected to be,” GM Sandy Alderson said. “It is third in the majors in ERA, but I suspect people thought it would be even better. But I do think that we have not scored runs has been part of this, as well. At some point, that begins to play with your pitching staff’s psyche.” (NY Post)
Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard find themselves with the fourth and fifth best ERA in the major leagues, respectively. Overall as Alderson points out they rank third as a group. Bartolo Colon is another year reminiscent of being a 23 year-old stud and not a 43 year-old marching towards his final season.
Steven Matz has struggled as of late after starting the season 7-1. He, like Syndergaard continue to pitch with bone spurs, to the effect of which it bothers them is not truly known. Matz though will need offseason surgery to rectify the same. Zack Wheeler is on the mend, readying to begin a rehab assignment this coming Saturday as Matt Harvey will watch from his home as he recovers from season-ending surgery.
The pitching staff as a whole enters Friday’s contest with the Detroit Tigers with a 3.39 ERA, only behind the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. With how the offense has struggled, it is on the starting staff to keep them in each and every game as the Mets attempt to squeak out wins.
Jake has slowly begun to push himself to the forefront of this rotation, positioning himself for another great season. The 1-2 punch of deGrom and Syndergaard is still one of the best in baseball and will be a formidable challenge to any team. This season is in this pitching rotation’s hands. Can they lead us back to the promised land, is the question?
