The New York Mets will face the Atlanta Braves beginning Friday in a series that will surely determine the National League East. And the Mets will kick off that series by sending veteran ace Jacob deGrom to the mound.
Mets manager Buck Showalter revealed Wednesday night that deGrom's next start would be moved up to Friday night. This news came on the heels of a walk-off 5-4 victory over the Miami Marlins.
The Mets enter the series against the Braves with a one-game lead over the defending World Series champions. Both teams have qualified for the postseason. The only question is who will enter play in October as division champion.
This moved-up start obviously offers a chance at redemption for deGrom. His previous start came against the Oakland Athletics. In four innings, deGrom gave up five runs on six hits, striking out five while walking four batters.
Prior to that, the Mets ace pitched to his usual dominant form. On September 18, deGrom struck out 13 batters in five innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On the season, the Mets ace holds a 5-3 record with a 2.93 ERA. He has 91 strikeouts to just eight walks with a 0.74 WHIP in 58.1 innings pitched in 2022.
deGrom made his season debut in early August. He spent the first half of the season on the injured list dealing with a shoulder injury.
The Mets ace will be a free agent at season's end. With the Mets finally in a position to make a run, deGrom's start on Friday could be a major audition to teams across the league.
Alas, New York and their ace aren't worried about that right now. Their focus is on winning a World Series, and this series against the defending champion Braves is certainly a major step towards that goal.
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