This season is doubled as a torture chamber for pitchers. So when a contingent of Mets, including coach Brian Chicklo, hid around Jacob deGrom in the second inning, you could imagine that Citi Field had been as quiet with a full house as the fans of the cardboard cut were.
DeGrom literally showed Chicklo the middle finger on his right hand. The ace would say after a 4-2 Mets victory over the Marlins that he had more of a ‘hot spot’ than a blister and would make them available every five days.
But you see how cautious this season is for the Mets – a season already more than a quarter over when MLB is lucky enough to complete 60 games. Earlier on Sunday, the Mets had placed Michael Wacha (shoulder inflammation) on the injured list, where he joins Noah Syndergaard, who will not return in 2020, and Marcus Stroman, who is yet to be on the field this year. have to place.
That rotation depth the Mets believed they had in the spring is now like Ron Swoboda as Mookie Wilson, part of their history. It could choke you, unless there’s no crying in baseball, which’s more true than ever this year and never more than when the Marlins – or at least the boys in the Marlins uniform – are in the other dugout. .
Due to a COVID-19 outbreak on their team, the Marlins have not played for eight days, they have already used 45 players by 2020 (two more than the Cardinals who were used in 162 games last year) and currently have 17 players out with either the virus as not considered reasons (probably the virus). However, they showed 6-1 to Citi Field, won Friday night and beat the Mets to the finals on Saturday and Sunday.
Maybe they will have magic in this short, bizarre season. Or maybe the two straight losses are the beginning of our flashing and if we stand next in the stands the Marlins will be 10-15. After all, Miami has already had nine players make its big league debut this season and Friday will see a stretch of 20 games start in 19 days without a day off.
Of course, we have no idea who the Mets are. They are 7-9 and if anything were to happen to deGrom, we might as well think who Steve Cohen, Josh Harris or Alex Rodriguez will spend their money on this offseason.
But there it is, too: as this season has progressed, the Mets’ annual underrated player development team has hired David Peterson to help stabilize the rotation and make Andres Gimenez an energizer bunny. Gimenez packed a lot of good plays in a game like Santa filled bags with gifts. He counted all three innings for scoring for the Mets with his ball and legs, and used hustle and savvy to chase a ball that was started by Pete Alonso in the sixth inning.
“He does a lot on the field that helps your team win,” said manager Luis Rojas.
Look no further, but the Mets bullpen is changing from depressive to profound. The addition of Jared Hughes, the return of Robert Gsellman and a positive run for Edwin Diaz has increased Rojas’ circle of confidence. It’s necessary with Stroman throwing at least one more simulated game, Wacha out and a bullpen game going hard on Wednesday.
It only accentuates the importance of deGrom as a stabilizer and stud. That’s the reason why after a familiar high-octane, exactly first inning, the second inning was so beautiful. DeGrom ran the first two batters on eight pitches, just the second time in his career he had issued consecutive walks of four pitches. He went to a full count on the next inning, with Eddy Alvarez stopping an infield single stopping through a JD Davis road to prevent a run.
Or the savagery as the constant control of the hand brought out Rojas, Chicklo and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. DeGrom convinced the trio that he could persevere. But the inning cost him 32 pitches. He went down the tunnel afterwards “to move my arm.” The ball did not come out of his hand well. He tried his best to recover. But it never really happened.
Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run homer in the fifth and the normally memorable deGrom kicked a trash into the dugout before returning to the clubhouse which was done after five innings and 98 pitches.
“It was frustrating,” deGrom admitted.
Frustration is fine. Fractures or sprains or strains should be limited. No season will be more about attrition than this shortest ever as limited training and a virus attack rosters. Who can stay the healthiest?
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