Jacob deGrom is brilliant, so all Luis Rojas expects of him is the usual

Jacob deGrom has been the Mets’ constant.

In an ever changing season marred by bad weather and a COVID outbreak on an opposing team, it’s been deGrom who’s come in for his usual turn through the rotation with Luis Rojas knowing that no matter what else happens, they will get the best out of him.

“I’m at the point where we expect him to come in and give us the length that has been given us,” the Mets manager said Friday before the Amazin’s series opener against the Nationals at Citi Field.

“He’s done a good job, I think this year compared to last year, his pitch per inning, it’s been a lot better,” Rojas continued. Last year, of course, being the one year deGrom did not win a Cy Young, but finished third in voting.

The Mets have no worries when it comes to him.

DeGrom will face-off against Nationals’ righty Erick Fedde on Friday for the first meeting between the two teams and deGrom’s first start against their NL East rival — after a number of Nats players and staff were diagnosed with COVID the day before 2021 Opening Weekend, postponing that series until June.

Unlike that Opening Day series would have been, the Mets won’t be kicking off a new year. These Mets, fresh off getting swept out of Chicago, will look to turn the page and start their five-game homestand on better terms than they finished their six-game road trip in the midwest.

The road trip included one outing against the Rockies that was special by even deGrom’s standards. Over six innings, he struck out 14 batters, including nine consecutive. Having that many consecutive K’s nearly tied him with “The Franchise” for the MLB record — Tom Seaver set the record (10) 51 years ago.

That start dropped his ERA to 0.45, from an already ridiculous 0.64.

Coming back home, where Mets fans hardly bat an eyelash at such excellence, it’s reasonable to ask whether expecting deGrominance has just become the norm. Rojas, as simply as he could answer, said he merely expected deGrom to do his job much like any coach would expect of a player.

“I think he’ll put us in a good position to win a ballgame,” Rojas said. “That’s what Jake wants. He wants to win. That’s the way he’s trying to evolve so far this season.”

The other time deGrom struck out 14 this year, against the Marlins on April 10, he gave up as many hits as he allowed (one) and the Mets still lost as their bats were ice cold.

It almost seems at this point, if deGrom wants to win, he’ll have to keep runners off the base paths and provide his own firepower at the same time. In fact in Colorado, deGrom contributed one run in the Mets’ 4-3 win.

There’s only but so much one man can do. Until the Mets bats fully wake up and get in the rhythm they’ve been trying to get into (with the start and stop nature of their schedule so far), deGrom can only do his job.

The job looks more and more like being a wizard with a baseball, but who’s complaining? Certainly not the Mets.