This is my fault. It’s all my fault. A few days ago, I noticed that the Mets went through the entire month of April without adding a new starting pitcher to the disabled list, and wondered when the last time that happened was. I was thinking of looking the numbers up, but never did. But it definitely feels like it’s been a while since the Mets went a full calendar month without a starting pitcher landing on the disabled list, right?
Ha.
Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha. Ha.
Ha.
Damn it.
Jacob deGrom left last night’s game with a hyperextended elbow, which he sustained while swinging the bat in the third inning. He stayed in the game to pitch another half-inning, but was pulled after the fourth. He was once again cruising up to that point. The MRI results will be revealed today. It could be a small injury, but it could also be catclysmic blow to this season.
It’s all our faults, really. We bought in. For some reason, we got excited about an 11-1 start, as if it was the first time we ever watched a baseball season. And you would think, at this point, injuries would stop bothering us as much as they do. We should grow numb to it eventually, right? Once you experience something enough times in a row, you start to get used to it, don’t you? So why are we still so upset when they happen? Because we fill our dumb minds with hope, that’s why. And then we get upset when things go horribly awry, as if we haven’t been down this same road a million times before. This is the road we choose to go down every year, and this is how it turns. These are the potholes we know so well. We shouldn’t be surprised when we find out where this road ends; it’s the same every time. It’s our faults for hoping it would be different this time.
We’re foolish. We’re silly. We’re optimisitc. We’re Mets fans.
And really, I don’t mean to be overly depressing or pretentious here when we don’t even know the actual extent of the injury yet. But deGrom never pulls himself out of a game. The way he went down the tunnel with his glove on his head and the expression on everyone’s face says it all. The mood across social media and in the dugout, the broadcast booth and the entire ballpark for the rest of the game was not an accident. This is extremely concerning at best, and heartbreaking at worst.
Of course, what adds to the overwhelming malaise around the Mets right now was what else transpired on the field last night. They were thoroughly embarrassed by the Braves, who, with their new call-ups, look like they’re in another echelon than the Mets right now. Sure, they could just be a team that’s hot — like the Mets were a few weeks ago! — but, as was written here yesterday, the talent level on their team that supports what we’re seeing. This isn’t fluky stuff; this is the team they’ve spent three or four years building. The Mets are now out of first place for the first time since early April, and while that doesn’t matter much on May 3, it’s an accurate reflection of the truth: that the Mets right now aren’t good enough, and losing deGrom for any amount of time is a titanic blow to their ability to keep pace.
The Mets lost 7-0. They have not won consecutive games since their nine-game winning streak was snapped on April 12.
OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY:
Jacob deGrom is injured. This is the only news that matters.
WHAT’S NEXT
We find out the results of deGrom’s MRI, that’s what.
(There is also a game today against the Braves. It’s the series finale. Jason Vargas, who is not Jacob deGrom, goes against Julio Teheran at 1:10 p.m.)
Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports
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