Jacob deGrom’s third mediocre start in a row has raised some concerns in New York about his health, but the team and the player are claiming that has nothing to do with it.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway blames a mechanical issue for deGrom’s issues, saying that the star pitcher is “leaving the rubber a little quick,” via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. This leads to deGrom’s pitches staying too close to the middle of the plate.
deGrom agreed, saying that he felt “great” physically.
“My arm feels great. That’s what’s frustrating about it,” deGrom said. “Felt really good, good warming up. To go there and do that, that’s embarrassing.”
deGrom gave up five runs in four innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. It was the second time in three starts he failed to pitch past the fourth inning, and he hasn’t come up with a quality start since April 3. It’s certainly easy to try to connect it to recent elbow discomfort he experienced, but nothing appeared wrong medically and both deGrom and the Mets are steadfast that it’s not the root of his problems right now.
