Carlos Gonzalez On Jacob DeGrom: 'Best Pitcher In The Game, Hands Down'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Jacob deGrom was brilliant yet again on Wednesday night.
The All-Star conceded only two hits and struck out 10 in seven innings, leading the New York Mets past Colorado 3-0 on Wednesday night for their second consecutive shutout against the Rockies.
"Our offense has been pretty good up until these last two games. I think it's more due to the fact that we've run into two really good arms that were at the top of their game," manager Walt Weiss said.
Surprise leaders in the NL East, the Mets (62-52) handed Colorado its ninth defeat in a row at Citi Field since 2013 — after the Rockies won eight straight in the ballpark the previous two years.
Mets pitchers have a 0.67 ERA during the home winning streak against Colorado, blanked in four of the past five meetings. New York also tossed back-to-back shutouts at Citi Field against the Rockies last September.
"Our pitching's doing a really good job, but their pitching is just better right now," Gonzalez said. "They're shutting us down, and that's why they're winning the games."
Last season's NL Rookie of the Year, deGrom (11-6) lowered his ERA to 2.03 — second-best in the majors behind Zack Greinke (1.65) of the Dodgers. He walked four but finished with his eighth career double-digit strikeout game and fourth this season.
"Best pitcher in the game, hands down," Gonzalez said. "His fastball jumps. ... When you get two strikes against a guy like him, you don't even know what to look for."
The right-hander escaped a major jam in the fifth, aided by Juan Uribe's savvy play at third base on a safety squeeze, and tied fellow ace Matt Harvey for the team lead in wins.
Harvey yielded four hits over eight innings in a 4-0 victory Tuesday night.
"Very similar pitchers. I don't know who's better, but both were very good. Tough matchup," second baseman DJ LeMahieu said.
The last-place Rockies managed three hits. They threatened against deGrom again in the sixth but came up empty when LeMahieu struck out with two on.
"A sign of a good pitcher is when he turns it up with runners in scoring position, and he definitely did that. He's not afraid out there," LeMahieu said.
Colorado has lost seven in a row to the Mets overall since winning in Denver on May 3, 2014.
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