Jacob DeGrom was one of the headlines of the 2015 All-Star game after he came in an struck out the side in just 10 pitches. Coming off a stellar first-half of the season, the All-Star appearance was merely icing on the cake. Now the task is to keep momentum high and moving as he prepares to make his first start since the All-Star game against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
DeGrom comes into the second half of the season with a 9-6 record and a 2.14 ERA as he was the only Mets player in the All-Star game this season.
"That was unreal," deGrom said, via MLB's official website. "I was looking forward to getting a chance to throw, and I was pretty nervous in the bullpen, but when I got out there, the nerves kind of went away. And it was an awesome experience."
The star has not pitched a full game since July 8 so he has plenty of rest and potentially a bit of rust as he prepares to face the Nationals. He is in the middle of a 16-innings shutout streak on the road that he looks to maintain while facing the tough Nationals batting lineup. On the road, DeGrom has been strong with a 4-1 record and 0.94 ERA over his past five starts away from Citi Field. However, he is 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA against the Nationals in three starts.
After winning the game on Monday, the Nationals will put Joe Ross back on the mound as Stephen Strasburg continues to sit on the disabled list with an oblique strain. The pitcher was recalled from Triple-A and has looked impressive when he has been called upon this year. In a three-game stint last month, Ross with 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA, giving up three runs and striking out 19 in just over 15 innings of play.
The Nationals got things moving on Monday. They got five runs off Matt Harvey. The Mets offense went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position while being 4 for 72 in that type of situation. The Mets do not want to go do to the Nationals as they aim to maintain their top spot of the division.
