Jacob deGrom kept up his dominance of major league hitters, striking out 11 over seven innings and pitching the New York Mets past the high-powered San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night.
Francisco Lindor homered and doubled to back the latest brilliant performance by deGrom (5-2). The Mets ended San Diego's team-record 12-game home winning streak that began a month ago on May 5.
In complete charge throughout, deGrom allowed just three hits and walked one. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner has given up just four earned runs in 58 innings and has a 0.62 ERA.
“Honestly, I try not to think about it (the miniscule ERA),” deGrom said. “I try and go out there and put us in a position to win.”
In all nine of his starts this season, deGrom has not permitted more than one earned run. This was the 50th time in his career he struck out 10 or more in a game.
“It's impressive, I have never seen anything like it,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said of deGrom's run this season. “You know you are watching something special.”
The Padres had a prime opportunity for a big inning against deGrom in the fourth but couldn’t cash in. A single, walk and an error by Lindor at shortstop loaded the bases with one out, but deGrom buckled down and struck out Will Myers and Tucupita Marcano to escape and keep the game scoreless.
“I was just able to locate. I had a good feel for the fastball,” deGrom said. “I felt good most of the night, except for those last couple of innings. I could tell my arm was starting to drag a little bit. ”
DeGrom's only downfall on this evening: He went 0 for 3 at the plate, lowering his batting average to a still-lofty .391.
After the Padres won the first two of the four-game series matching two of the NL’s best teams, the Mets bounced back deGrom and solo homers by Lindor and Jose Peraza in the fifth off Joe Musgrove (4-5).
“He (Musgrove) ended up missing his slider and I was able to take advantage of it,” Peraza said of his home run.
Musgrove, who threw the season’s first no-hitter and had yielded only one earned run in his previous three outings, struck out 10 in five-plus innings. He gave up three runs on eight hits as his ERA inched up to 2.33.
“Aside from those two pitches (Mets homers) I felt really good,” Musgrove said. “In the fifth inning, I didn't feel like I had the same stuff as early on.”
With the Mets up 2-0, Kevin Pillar and Tomas Nido singled to begin the sixth, chasing Musgrove in favor of reliever Tim Hill. Jonathan Villar singled in a run before Hill worked out of the inning.
New York added a run in the ninth when Lindor doubled and scored on a single by Pillar.
San Diego’s Jurickson Profar was ejected in the eighth inning after slamming his bat on the ground after a called third strike. It was Profar’s first career ejection in his eight years in the majors.
The Mets and Padres will wrap up their four-game series on Sunday at 4:10 p.m.
Marcus Stroman (4-4, 2.66 ERA) gets the start and will go up against Chris Paddack (2-4, 4.24 ERA) for San Diego.
(photo: Getty Images)