Mets’ Jacob deGrom extends scoreless streak to 30 innings in win over Braves

Jacob deGrom flirted with (abbreviated) baseball history on Monday after exiting his last start with right shoulder soreness. And the shoulder wasn’t an issue as deGrom returned to his dominant form.

The Mets’ ace carried a no hitter into the fifth inning, and while a two-out double by Kevin Smith ended deGrom’s bid, he picked up the win in a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the first seven-inning game of a doubleheader at Citi Field in New York.

While deGrom didn’t have a specified pitch or inning count entering the game, manager Luis Rojas went to the bullpen after the fifth inning. DeGrom allowed one hit and two walks while striking out six on 70 pitches. His ERA dropped to 0.50, and he stretched his scoreless streak to 30 innings.

Jonathan Villar scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead, and that was all deGrom needed.

DeGrom retired the first eight batters of the game, recording four strikeouts in that stretch. He lost the perfect game by walking the opposing pitcher, Kyle Muller, despite going ahead 0-2 on the first two pitches of the at bat.

He held the Braves hitless into the fifth inning before Guillermo Heredia worked a four-pitch walk with two outs. Smith then hit a soaring fly ball to left-centerfield, where Dominic Smith and Albert Almora Jr. let the ball bounce on the warning track.

Fortunately for deGrom and the Mets, the ball bounced off the wall for a ground-rule double, and deGrom got Pablo Sandoval to pop out the third to end the inning.

A Jose Peraza double in the second inning was the only base hit for the Mets over the first four innings, but the offense gave deGrom plenty of insurance in the bottom of the fifth inning.

After Tomas Nido was hit by a pitch, Jeff McNeil pinch hit for deGrom and singled to centerfield. That at bat marked McNeil’s first appearance in a MLB game since straining his hamstring on May 16.

Villar reached on an infield single to load the bases with one out. Francisco Lindor was retired on a shallow fly out, but Dominic Smith knocked a bases-clearing double to the right-field corner to put the Mets up 4-0.

Ozzie Albies, who struck out twice in his first two at bats against deGrom, pulled the Braves within 4-2 with a two-run home run off Seth Lugo in the top of the sixth inning. But Lugo finished that frame before Edwin Diaz picked up the save in the seventh.

Next up

Tuesday: RHP Charlie Morton (6-3, 4.03) vs. RHP Marcus Stroman (6-5, 2.35), 7:10 p.m.

Wednesday: LHP Max Fried (4-4, 4.21) vs. TBA, 7:10 p.m.

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Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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