With all due respect, the best pitcher in New York right now might not be not Matt Harvey.
That is not a knock on Harvey by any means. There’s no question Harvey has been spectacular outside of a start or two in his first year back from Tommy John Surgery. He has dazzled, dominated, and pitched like the ace he has billed himself to be which, given his circumstances, is nothing short of awesome.
But, that’s how good Jacob deGrom is right now, because he’s just been better than Harvey.
DeGrom has separated himself from not only Harvey, but potentially any other pitcher in the National League for the moment. His starts only seem to get more dominant, to the point he’s capable of doing something special on any given night, beyond winning a baseball game which is his primary responsibility.
And on Monday night in Southern California, he forced a lot of Met fans in New York to endure a sleepy Tuesday morning, as he opened his evening by retiring the first 15 batters he faced, and allowed two hits while facing the minimum 24 San Diego hitters through eight utterly dominant innings.
“I feel real comfortable out there with my delivery and I’m just out there trying to make pitches,” deGrom said after winning his third game in his last four starts.
DeGrom did not allow a walk on Monday night, the third consecutive start he has not issued a free pass. He has only walked one batter in his last four starts while striking out 34 over 29 1/3 innings. In addition, deGrom has gone four straight starts without giving up an extra-base hit which is tied for the longest single-season streak in club history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“Going into that inning before [Clint Barmes] got the hit, I was just sitting thinking to myself, ‘Well, this could be a night we’re going to have to sit back and watch what happens,’ ” Terry Collins said. “He pitched a great game.”
Great doesn’t even begin to quantify deGrom’s performance. His fastball and slider were electrically dominant. But the slider in particular might have set this outing apart for him, as it beautifully offset the fastball with pinpoint location right on each corner.
The Padres weren’t close to the slider, either – they swung at 11 of the 18 sliders deGrom threw for strikes and put only two of them in play.
deGrom said he was aware of his perfect game bid but did what he could do to contain himself and focus on the primary task, which was winning the game.
“I knew what was going on, but you try not to think about it,” deGrom explained. “You just try to go out there and continue to execute pitches.”
Aside from ironing out his mechanical issues and bumps and bruises, another key for deGrom’s success has been his tempo. He’s been working so quickly over his last four starts, making it impossible for opposing hitters to dig in and get comfortable. Even when he’s gotten runners on base, he’s gotten the ball back and fired, as if he knows what pitch he’s going to throw two pitches before he throws it. But, that’s also a credit to the dominant control he’s had as well.
Obviously, deGrom cannot possibly continue this torrid pace he’s on. But certainly, it appears he’s taken another step in his development and evolution as a pitcher, as he has shown he can quickly and fairly easily overcome adversity and adjust back against the league.
And, he’s elevated his game in the process, demonstrating he is among the elite pitchers in the game today.
Over his last four starts, deGrom is 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA. He’s allowed three runs, a walk, and 14 hits with 34 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings, holding the opposition to .143/.150/.293. He is 6-4 with a 2.41 ERA in 71 innings over 11 starts this season, having allowed only 57 hits, 13 walks and six home runs with 71 strikeouts.
Just Mets 