Jacob deGrom dazzles again but leaves Mets game vs. Padres with right flexor tendinitis

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NEW YORK — Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom looked unstoppable Friday night against the San Diego Padres, who could hardly touch him.

With every strikeout, the Citi Field crowd — which was 26,637 strong due to increased capacity — roared. And when deGrom smoked a two-run single to help his own cause and chase his counterpart, Blake Snell, the ballpark erupted. 

That excitement soon turned to fear, worry and concern. 

DeGrom, who took a perfect game into the fifth inning, departed the game after six innings because of right flexor tendinitis (the flexor is in the forearm and runs up to the elbow). The Mets (31-24) defeated the Padres, 3-2, in the series opener but deGrom’s injury scare might dampen the thrill of victory. 

The Mets don’t seem all too worried about this. 

“I’ve had a couple elbow issues before and I know what that feels like, so my level of concern is not too high,” deGrom said. “I’m pretty optimistic about it and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be something we can treat, and not miss any time.”

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom leaves the field during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres.

 (Photo: Frank Franklin II, AP)

Added manager Luis Rojas:  “I’m not concerned, either, just because Jake is not. At this point, this is a guy that knows his body really well, knows his arm really well.”

DeGrom said he felt the flexor injury this week. He didn’t tell the athletic training staff about it because he felt it had improved and he didn’t believe it would be an issue. On Friday, he woke up free of pain. 

Another reason deGrom isn’t too concerned: He said it didn’t get much worse as the game progressed. He felt it when he flew open mechanically, but didn’t experience discomfort when his mechanics were good. He said it tightened up as he warmed up for the sixth inning. 

After that frame, Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who now knew of the flexor injury, told deGrom: “I think we got to play it safe here.” DeGrom agreed and his night ended at 80 pitches. 

Is he confident he can make his next start?

“I’m pretty optimistic that I’ll be out there in five days,” deGrom said. 

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After deGrom finished the sixth inning, he entered the dugout and talked with head athletic trainer Brian Chicklo. Minutes later, Luis Guillorme went in the on-deck circle to hit for deGrom. 

This seemed like a cause for concern because deGrom had one-hit the Padres (37-28) to that point. He had struck out 10 while walking none. The Padres looked helpless against him. 

The Mets had no reason to pull him. 

Unless, of course, he suffered an injury. 

In the top of the seventh, Miguel Castro took over for deGrom. Castro, who entered with a three-run lead, surrendered a double to Fernando Tatis Jr. and a home run to Jake Cronenworth. 

Suddenly, the Mets led by only a run. They had to find a way to piece together the rest of the game against a talented lineup. 

Another tough part of this contest: Castro left in the eighth due to neck stiffness. Rojas said Chicklo, the athletic trainer, told him Castro should be fine. 

Losing deGrom for any amount of time would be a blow. He is, without question, the Mets’ most valuable player. 

And he might be the NL MVP right now. 

DeGrom on Friday lowered his season ERA to 0.56. According to MLB, it is the lowest ERA through 10 starts of a season since earned runs became an official stat in 1913. 

“There’s no comparison for Jake,” closer Edwin Diaz said through team interpreter Alan Suriel. “Jake’s from another planet, honestly.” 

Another crazy statistic: After deGrom’s two-run single off Blake Snell in the fifth inning — which knocked Snell out of the game — the right-hander now has more RBI (five) than earned runs (four) this season. DeGrom is batting .400. 

“I’m pretty sure I said, ‘You got to be bleeping kidding me’ just because it’s ridiculous what he does,” said Billy McKinney, who was on third base for deGrom’s two-run single. “He does stuff you don’t see every day. It’s pretty cool to watch. It’s unbelievable.”

In May, deGrom went on the injured list with right side tightness. He missed around two weeks. Now he hopes managing the flexor injury with extra treatment between starts will help mitigate the issue. 

DeGrom on Friday lost his perfect game when Wil Myers hit a one-out single in the fifth inning. However, catcher James McCann caught Myers stealing right after that. 

In the bottom half of that inning, Kevin Pillar and McKinney hit back-to-back doubles, the second of which scored a run. Two batters after that, deGrom ignited the crowd with his latest offensive highlight. 

The Mets, clinging to a one-run lead, called on Diaz to earn the four-out save with a runner on base in the eighth. He earned the final out of that frame, then escaped the ninth after allowing a two-out hit. 

But even with a win in front of a rowdy crowd, deGrom’s injury scare is front and center. 

Fortunately for the Mets, this doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue for deGrom. 

“Hopefully it’s something we can treat and (I) can run back out there in five days,” the ace said. 

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com; Twitter: @justinctoscano 

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