Mets dealt possible setback after Jacob deGrom suffers hyperextended elbow
A bad night for the New York Mets got even worse with the news that star pitcher Jacob deGrom suffered a hyperextended pitching elbow during their 7-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
The 29-year-old right-hander had been cruising along, posting four scoreless innings before exiting the game. Nothing appeared to be wrong when deGrom set down the heart of Atlanta’s order in his final frame. However, he immediately departed for the clubhouse once the inning ended and was never seen again.
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After the game, Mets manager Mickey Callaway confirmed deGrom suffered the injury during his third-inning at-bat, which resulted in a strikeout. The Mets expect to have more information on Thursday, after deGrom has an MRI.
The injury is almost certain to cost deGrom time. Even if it’s not deemed to be serious, the Mets won’t be sending him out there for his next scheduled start. DeGrom is one of the most important players on the team, as evidenced by his current scoreless streak that reached 18 1/3 innings on Wednesday night, and will be needed at 100 percent.
DeGrom struck out four, while lowering his season ERA to 1.87 in his abbreviated outing.
Assuming deGrom does miss time, it could open up an opportunity for Matt Harvey to return temporarily return to the Mets rotation. That’s a possible side story to keep an eye on.
Another is that with Wednesday’s loss, the Mets fell out of first place. The Braves officially passed them in the NL East standings.
While it’s certainly not time for Mets fans to panic, a little bit of squirming would be understandable. At least until there’s some official word on deGrom’s status.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Yahoo Sports Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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