Jacob deGrom can’t catch a break.
The Mets squandered another lights out pitching performance by their ace on Wednesday, which resulted in a 2-1 loss to the cellar-dwelling Marlins. Familia entered the game in the ninth with a 1-0 lead, but was unable to hold it as he surrendered four hits and two runs to blow the save and ultimately lose the game.
You can blame the bullpen. You can blame the lack of offense. But either way you’ve got to feel for deGrom, who has grown accustomed to this outcome.
And as Jake always does, he handled it like a pro with the media after:
"Nobody wants to lose," Jacob deGrom says, calling the Mets' bullpen issues "rare." He delivered seven scoreless tonight before Jeurys Familia blew a save. pic.twitter.com/D50xhVJxjm
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 24, 2018
But one has to wonder what this does to a Jake’s psyche. It can’t be easy to go through the routine of preparing for a start, delivering a stellar performance, and then watching it go down the drain due to no offense and bullpen mistakes. This has happened to Jake four times this year, and it probably won’t be the last. And as calm as Jake has seemed after each wasted outing, I’m sure he’s let out a few expletives internally. It would be interesting to know what Jake was thinking in the moment during Wednesday’s loss.
In fact, Darren tweeted out the following:
Ya know that cheesy movie "What Women Want" where Mel Gibson can read minds? I wanna know what deGrom is thinking each time this shit happens to him.
— The 7 Line (@The7Line) May 24, 2018
Well it got me wondering what was going on in Jake's head as the win slipped out of his hands:
1) “I miss my long hair. Maybe I need to grow it back to get some W’s. People don’t even recognize me anymore...”
2) “Maybe Rosario shouldn’t have tried to steal in the fifth inning with zero outs. Then Brandon puts us up 2-0 after going yard. I don’t know, these aren’t my calls to make, just a thought..."
3) “Boy, I could really use one (or five) of those Jim Beam cocktails Gelbs was reporting on the other night.”
4) “Should I start bulking up and getting these runs myself? Do chicks still dig the long ball? I should talk to Noah about doing a commercial…"
5) “Thank God they don’t consider W-L record for the Cy Young anymore...”
If the Mets want to be playing meaningful baseball in the second half, they have to make the most of deGrom’s performances. Yet that hasn’t been the case numerous times this year, the most recent during Wednesday’s loss to the Marlins. It puts the cherry on top of what was an uninspiring series against a weak opponent.
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Nick Giacone
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T7L contributing blogger - Follow Nick on Twitter