Major League Baseball

Jacob deGrom dominant on the mound again, yet Mets lose in puzzling trend

Updated Apr. 10, 2021 7:17 p.m. ET

If there was ever an example that the "win" statistic doesn’t always mean much when it comes to evaluating pitchers, look no further than Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets.

It has been a long-running theme among Mets fans that nothing is guaranteed when their ace takes the mound, because his teammates’ bats so often go silent.

Case in point on Saturday against the Miami Marlins, when deGrom pitched eight innings, struck out a career-high-tying 14 batters, walked none, allowed one run … and took the loss.

Jacob deGrom's 14 strikeouts not enough as Mets fall to Marlins, 3-0

Jacob deGrom rung up 14 Miami Marlins batters, but the New York Mets couldn't get on the scoreboard in a 3-0 loss. deGrom pitched eight innings and gave up just one earned run.

His only mistake – if you want to call it that – was a 100.4 mph fastball outside the strike zone on an 0-2 count to Jazz Chisholm, who somehow not only got on top of it but hit it out of the park. It was the first home run deGrom has ever allowed on an 0-2 count.

Mets reliever Edwin Diaz made that home run a moot point, though, as he allowed two more runs in the ninth as the Mets fell, 3-0.

"Unfortunately, we've been through this before,'' outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. "It's never easy.''

"An outing like that, you can call it a waste," added Mets manager Luis Rojas.

That’s a good way to describe what the Mets have done in deGrom’s two starts already this season. The three-time All-Star has allowed just one run and struck out 21 in those outings, and yet his team lost both games.

After that first loss, in which deGrom threw six shutout innings, Mets reliever Trevor May said "Jake shouldn’t have to do everything himself."

So true, but a pitcher can’t win if his offense doesn’t score any runs, and the Mets are averaging just 1.5 runs per game in his starts so far this season. And going back to last season, the Mets have now lost four straight games that deGrom has started. They’ve scored three or fewer runs in all four of those games.

Sadly, this has been something of a norm over the last few years, despite deGrom’s dominance.

The 33-year-old right-hander has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball since 2018, when he won the first of two consecutive Cy Young Awards. That season he finished with only a 10-9 record in 32 starts despite leading the league in ERA (1.70), ERA+ (218) and home runs allowed per nine innings (0.4).

In 2019 his record improved slightly to 11-8. He led the league with 255 strikeouts that year and compiled a 2.43 ERA across 32 starts. In an abbreviated 2020 season, deGrom had a 2.38 ERA across 12 starts. His record was just 4-2.

Add up the results of the last four seasons and the numbers are startling. DeGrom has a 2.06 ERA across 78 starts, yet the Mets are 36-42 in those games.

Going back farther to 2014, deGrom’s first year as a starter, he ranks third among all pitchers in strikeouts (1,380) and second among starters in ERA (2.59), yet he’s only 20th in wins, with 70.

And you would think it would be easy to predict a victory when deGrom is on the mound, but that’s hardly the case. In his last 30 starts, the Mets are just 15-15 on the Run Line (all MLB games have a spread of either -1.5 or +1.5 depending on whether you’re favorite or underdog).

Perhaps the most markable thing in all of this is that none of it seems to bother deGrom. Writes Tim Britton in The Athletic:

"Saturday, of course, is not a unique occurrence for him: The Mets are under .500 in his starts since 2018, and they’re 3-6 in games in which he strikes out at least 13. But he's remained placid in the face of it all, putting into practice the cliché of controlling what you can control."

DeGrom knows that you can’t control what your offense does, and you can’t control what your bullpen does once you leave the game. You also can’t control what the opposing pitcher does, and sometimes simply facing a star like deGrom can bring out the best in a competitive athlete.

"Their guy was really good on the mound," deGrom said on Saturday, giving credit to Marlins starter Trevor Rogers.

Rogers struck out 10 in six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks.

"Best in baseball, Jacob deGrom is," Rogers said. "You really have to bring your best and then some. To see me and our whole team go out and compete with the best, it just shows you how good we are."

Rogers brought his best on Saturday. So did deGrom.

Are Mets wasting Jacob deGrom's talent? -- MLB on FOX crew breaks it down

New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for years. However, the Mets' offense continues to struggle in his starts. So, is New York wasting his prime years by not providing him with consistent run support?

The Mets hitters, though, were a bit lacking. And so here we are again, with the New York Mets watching a potential win slip through their fingers despite the best efforts of their star pitcher.

It’s become a sight that is all too familiar for Mets fans.

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