Even a vintage Jacob deGrom performance couldn’t prevent his New York Mets from failing to win for a ninth straight game.
- New York Mets 3 (7-13)
- Atlanta Braves 3 (6-16)
- Grapefruit League, Final, Box Score
- Champion Stadium, Kissimmee, FLA
By Jeremy Fialkow
C’mon, man! This is getting old and tiresome. Another ace taking the mound for the Mets today? Show us something new!
Regardless, today was a day of reckoning with the deGrominator pitching for New York.
The 2014 NL Rookie of the Year and 2015 All-Star Jacob deGrom may not have gotten the call as Opening Day Night starter (likely because his baby is scheduled to be born), but today’s game showed Mets Nation he’ll be ready when his name is called.
Saturday’s matchup with the division rival Atlanta Braves was a flashy final Grapefruit League start for the 27-year-old righty. He demonstrated his unpredictable yet commanding mix of fastballs and off-speed in more than six innings of work.
Everyone out there worrying about deGrom’s velocity this spring: Take a deep breath. Sure, his fastball has been sitting in the low 90s thus far. Today, he hit 94 mph on the gun as he appears to be slowly creeping up to the high speeds he (and the rest of the rotation) threw at for the past two seasons.
DeGrom even provided some offense for the team that is winless in its last eight games. With the bases loaded in the 5th inning, he stepped tot he plate and drove in a run on a groundout, tying the game at 1-1.
His final line: 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks
The deGrominator ends his preseason with an ERA of 1.62 through four starts, tops on the Mets starting pitching staff.
Jacob DeGrom has now limited opponents to three runs and 13 hits in 16 2/3 Grapefruit League innings. He has walked two and struck out 15.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) March 26, 2016
Promising News:
With Asdrubal Cabrera ailing and Ruben Tejada gone, shortstop prospect Matt Reynolds, 25, is expected to see a solid amount of time in the Bigs this season, potentially even making New York’s opening day roster. In Triple-A Las Vegas last year, he hit .261 with six homers and 66 RBI.
As spring baseball winds to a close, Reynolds is beginning to show some real signs of life both at the plate and on defense. Reynolds followed up his 3 RBI performance Friday with another solid batting showcase.
In the 3rd inning, Reynolds, in his initial at-bat of the day, laced a double to the wall in right field, good for New York’s first hit against the Braves
He finished the day with two hits in two at-bats, and a walk.
Get-Hyped News:
Free baseball! Saturday’s game (for who knows what reason) marked the first edition of extra inning ball this spring.
Sadly, New York still couldn’t finish on top of the scoreboard for the ninth game in a row. But, the 2016 Mets are record-setters already! By tying the Braves today, New York became the first team in Grapefruit League history to exceed the three-tie threshold in spring.
Aside from some (more) elite pitching for the Metropolitans and yet another game without a win, Saturday was pretty uneventful for Mets faithful.
Luckily, it’s time to officially begin the 2016 Opening Night countdown.
Eight days and counting. Be prepared.
Meaningless Baseball Alert:
The Mets head back to home-park at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie for another division battle, this time against their (presumed) 2016 rivals, the Washington Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm ET. You can catch the game on WPIX and MLB.TV…or listen on 710 WOR.
deGrom had been 91-93 this spring. Today it’s 91-94 per a scout. So, slight bump but not much. Also, pitching well, as he’s done all spring.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) March 26, 2016
Productive day at the plate for Jacob deGrom. Run-scoring groundout earlier. Now a sac bunt to advance Matt Reynolds to second base.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) March 26, 2016
