Jacob deGrom’s Quality Start Gives Rangers Ace Much-Needed Rebound

Jacob deGrom needed a game like Wednesday night, even if it ended in a no-decision and an eventual 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros.

In his last two starts the Texas Rangers right-hander allowed a combined 11 hits and 10 earned runs, both of which turned into losses. That included his last start against Houston on May 16, when he gave up four home runs for just the second time in his career.

This time he held the Astros to two runs on four hits in six innings at Globe Life Field. He just didn’t get the benefit of the offensive explosion that Tuesday’s starter Jack Leiter got.

He struck out five and walked one and navigated a lineup that had posted 16 runs combined in the first two games of the series against the Rangers. It was a welcome bounce-back.

Jacob deGrom Against the Astros

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom throws a baseball. — Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

deGrom worked a perfect first inning. Jeremy Pena flew out, Yordan Alvarez struck out looking and Chrisian Walker grounded out. The right-hander only threw 11 pitches and just three fastballs as his off-speed offerings were the pay-off pitches in each at-bat.

“I thought he mixed really, really well, much different than the last outing against Houston,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said to Rangers Sports Network and other outlets after the game. “I thought the slider was really effective, and he used the curveball really well. I don't want to say he pitched backwards but he really pitched tonight. It wasn't just you know the fastball and try to blow by guys. He was really pitching.”

The Astros scored a run in the second inning as Taylor Trammell hit a leadoff double off a 98 mph fastball. The location was just off the middle of the plate and belt high, location that he’s struggled with of late. He got Cam Smith to fly out, which moved Trammell to third, before he scored on a Braden Shewmake sacrifice fly. He then struck out Jake Meyers to end the frame. He was caught looking at a 98.6 mph fastball in the low middle of the zone.

He set down the Astros in order in the third, as Brice Matthews grounded out, Christian Vazquez struck out swinging and Pena grounded out. But he couldn’t follow it up with a shutout fourth inning.

Alvarez — of course, — hit a home run off deGrom to lead off the fourth, his 19th of the season and his fourth of the series. This time it was a 92.8 mph slider that deGrom put on the bottom edge of the strike zone. Alvarez being the MVP candidate he is, he went down and got it. Trammell singled again, but deGrom got out of that jam to keep the game tied at 2-2.

Entering the fifth deGrom threw 61 pitches, 41 of which were strikes. He walked Meyers to lead off the frame but retired the next three hitters to guarantee himself a sixth inning. He gave up a single to Alvarez to lead off the sixth but retired the next three hitters to put him at 97 pitches and leading to his exit from the game.

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