CINCINNATI — Jacob deGrom shaved his ERA from 2.70 to 2.61 in his last start, at a time every number is under the microscope for Cy Young award consideration.
The reigning NL winner will make his final road start of the season on Friday, when the Mets face the Reds at Great American Ball Park. With manager Mickey Callaway’s decision to keep his rotation in line following Thursday’s day off, deGrom’s final start of the season will come Wednesday against the Marlins at Citi Field.
Hyun-Jin Ryu leads the NL with a 2.35 ERA, but the Dodgers ace is well behind deGrom in innings pitched and strikeouts — two statistics on which voters have placed more emphasis in recent years, with wins factoring less significantly. DeGrom has thrown 190 innings and struck out 239. Ryu has thrown 168 ²/₃ innings with 148 strikeouts.
Braves rookie Mike Soroka remains in the mix with a 2.60 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 169 ²/₃ innings. Max Scherzer is another solid candidate, with a 2.81 ERA over 166 ¹/₃ innings in which he has struck out 233.
DeGrom boosted his resume in a shootout with Ryu last Friday at Citi Field. In that game, deGrom pitched seven shutout innings against one of baseball’s top lineups. Over his last 15 games, deGrom has pitched to a 2.00 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP.
Brandon Nimmo, who drove in the tying run in the ninth inning Wednesday against the Rockies, might carry the title “Mr. September” for the Mets. The outfielder has a slash line of .297/.481/.703 since returning from the injured list on Sept. 1. Concerns about Nimmo’s slow start to the season have disappeared, as team officials are convinced the neck problems that ultimately cost him three-plus months on the IL, were to blame.
Pete Alonso, sitting at 49 homers, will get three games this weekend in a ballpark that has traditionally been among the most hitter-friendly in baseball. Alonso thrived in his visit to Coors Field, hitting two homers in three games. Alonso needs three homers to tie Aaron Judge’s MLB rookie record.