Mets ace Jacob deGrom returned from the injured list on Friday in time to start against the Brewers at home (MIL-NYM GameTracker). It didn't go well:
DeGrom of course recently spent time on the IL with elbow discomfort. While it initially seemed worrisome, the injury turned out to be not serious. That said, elbow troubles in a pitcher with a history of arm maladies is a source of concern. Presumably the Mets exercised ample caution and didn't rush him back or let deGrom and his competitive hard-wiring dictate a time-table.
Even if that is the case, deGrom has become an increasing source of concern. After the rough outing against Milwaukee, his ERA for the season now stands at 4.85. There's also this, which was current as of his five-run third inning on Friday:
deGrom has allowed 14 runs in his last 11.1 innings.
He allowed 14 runs total in his last 10 starts spanning 70.2 innings last year.
— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) April 27, 2019
Indeed, over deGrom's last three starts, he's posted a 9.69 ERA with eight walks and six home runs allowed in 13 innings. He's coming off a legendary 2018 season, in which he put up to 1.70 ERA in 217 innings and deservingly barged to the NL Cy Young award. Normally, you wouldn't react to a three-start stretch such as this one, but this is so out of step with deGrom's recent history -- these recent struggles ended a streak of 26 straight quality starts for deGrom. And there's the fact that he's been hurt.
DeGrom's velocity doesn't seem awry, but in 2019 he's been far more fastball-reliant than ever before. Maybe that's by design, or maybe he's losing confidence in his secondary offerings. Whatever the case, all signs point to "worry" for deGrom, the Mets, and the $137.5 million contract extension he recently signed.
