CHICAGO (AP) — The New York Mets tweaked their rotation before their series against the Chicago Cubs, giving ace right-hander Jacob deGrom an extra day of rest.
The 32-year-old deGrom was slated to start Thursday at Wrigley Field, but the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner was moved back to Friday's home game against the Washington Nationals.
The change puts Joey Lucchesi back on regular rest after the left-hander threw 55 pitches while working three innings during New York's 7-2 loss at Colorado in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Mets won two of three against the Rockies over the weekend, and then were off Monday. Manager Luis Rojas said deGrom asked for the extra rest.
“Jake this time wanted the extra day, and it keeps Lucchesi in line, too,” Rojas said before Tuesday's series opener against the Cubs. “So it just works well. He had the lesser amount of pitches in his outing, so we're going with him on Thursday and then Jake will pitch when we get back to New York.”
DeGrom worked six innings in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, striking out 14 for the second straight outing and leading the Mets to a 4-3 victory. He is 1-1 with a sparkling 0.45 ERA over his first three starts.
DeGrom's performance against the Rockies included nine straight strikeouts, one shy of Tom Seaver's major league record. He finished with 99 pitches, 67 for strikes.
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