Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, August 2, 2022 • 7:05 P.M.
Nationals Park • Washington, DC
RHP Jacob deGrom (0-0, -.– ERA) vs. RHP Cory Abbott (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
SNY  • WCBS 880 AM

I find the immediate moments after the trade deadline to be a bit of a letdown, even in years when the Mets have a wild deadline. There’s something about the anticipation of a trade that seemed impossible until it happened. After the deadline – all of that stops.

There’s no letdown this year after the deadline for Mets fans. We get to go from one of the most exciting days of the year into one of the most anticipated evenings of the year: Jacob deGrom’s 2022 debut!

The ace of the Mets staff returns tonight after he was shut down in spring due to a stress reaction in his scapula. He returns to a first-place Mets team that is currently on a season-best seven-game winning streak.

It’s also the first game of the Nationals’ new era without Juan Soto. There will be a lot of emotion tonight.

Mets Lineup

The Mets will get a look at rookie Cory Abbott tonight, making his first start of the season. Over three games pitched this year, Abbott has pitched four innings allowing a run on two hits while striking out six batters. The 26-year-old righty was drafted by the Cubs in 2017 and made his debut with them last season. The Giants purchased his contract in April and a couple of weeks later the Nationals got him off waivers.

Overall in Triple-A between multiple organizations, Abbott pitched 34 1/3 innings over 12 games including eight starts with a 4.98 ERA and 1.544 WHIP. A few Mets have briefly seen him in a major league game:

Nationals Lineup

Jacob deGrom was having a historic 2021 before he got bit by the injury bug.

Over 15 games and 92 innings, deGrom had a 1.08 ERA, 1.24 FIP, 0.554 WHIP and a 377 ERA+. He had a career best 14.3 K/9 rate an absurd 13.27 K/BB rate. For context, his career mark is a 5.10 K/BB. His only game against the Nationals last season was a complete game shutout where he held the Nationals to two hits and nothing else while striking out 15 batters.

The Nationals have the following numbers against him:

Game Notes

Juan Soto and Josh Bell were traded before the game for a package including five of the Padres’ best young players/prospects: Mackenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Adrian Morejon.

The Mets also traded for Darin Ruf, sending J.D Davis and three pitching prospects to the Giants in the process. Reliever Mychal Givens was also acquired.

Kramer Robertson replaced Davis on the roster, and Sam Clay was optioned for Jacob deGrom.

Let’s go Mets!