Jacob deGrom didn’t take any chances of being lifted

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — after a rain delay. Then http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , the New York Mets ace finished off one of his best performances of the year.DeGrom pitched his first complete game of the season and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.71, leading the Mets over the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 Saturday.It appeared deGrom’s day might be cut short due to a 41-minute rain delay that began in the middle of the fourth. Pitching coach Dave Eiland put a 45-minute limit on returning.DeGrom was so eager to resume that he walked toward the Philadelphia dugout to get a ball to warm up. He began to get loose on the mound before the umpires returned and prior to the Phillies’ grounds crew raking the field. He was forced to wait several minutes before throwing his final warmup toss as the field was being groomed.“I didn’t want to get close to that 45 minutes,” he said.DeGrom (8-7) kept boosting his NL Cy Young Award credentials and allowed only an unearned run, the result of his own error. He gave up seven hits, walked none, struck out nine and threw his hardest pitch, a 99 mph fastball, on the next-to-last of his 108 pitches.“Jacob has continued to prove why he is probably the front-runner at this point,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.DeGrom has thrown three complete games in 132 starts in the majors. He tossed a one-hitter at Citizens Bank Park on July 17, 2016, in a 5-0 win over the Phillies.Eiland approached deGrom prior to the ninth, and the right-hander was emphatic that he wanted to finish.“I definitely wanted it badly,” deGrom said. “I said, ‘I’m going out there.’ And he was fine with it.”DeGrom allowed a leadoff single to Rhys Hoskins in the fourth and then retired nine of 10 before the seventh Ryne Sandberg Jersey , when Philadelphia got its lone run.DeGrom pulled within two starts of Dwight Gooden’s club record with his 22nd consecutive start allowing three runs or less. He also eclipsed 200 strikeouts, finishing with 204 for the season. The two-time All-Star entered second in the NL and sixth in the majors in Ks.“A lot of life on his fastball and best slider of the year,” catcher Devin Mesoraco said. “He had everything working. Very impressive.”Hoskins and Maikel Franco each doubled among their two hits for the Phillies, who began the day a half-game behind Atlanta in the NL East and leading the NL wild-card race.Jake Arrieta (9-8) allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks in six strong innings.The Mets went ahead in the fourth when Jeff McNeil scored from third on Wilmer Flores‘ single that caromed off the third-base bag and into left field.New York took a 3-0 lead in the seventh with a pair of runs off Luis Garcia. Mesoraco homered and Amed Rosario scored on McNeil’s first career triple.The Phillies scored after Nick Williams and Franco hit consecutive one-out singles. Williams scored when deGrom couldn’t handle Rosario’s throw from short on a potential double-play on Odubel Herrera’s groundball.But the Mets got out of the inning when deGrom threw to first, where second baseman McNeil tagged out Herrera, who couldn’t get back to the bag after making a move toward second base.WHO’S ON FIRST?Phillies manager Gabe Kapler stuck with Carlos Santana at first base for defensive purposes despite Justin Bour’s strong career numbers against deGrom. Bour, acquired Aug. 10 from Miami to provide pop off the bench, entered 8 for 21 with two homers off deGrom.“I thought long and hard about Bour starting today,” Kapler said. “I really wanted to find a way to get (Bour) in there today, but with Jake Arrieta on the mound, it’s very important that we put our best defensive infield out there.”Bour struck out pinch hitting in the eighth. Santana was 1 for 4 with a strikeout.ROTATION CHANGESCallaway said RHP Corey Oswalt will move to the bullpen to keep the Mets with a five-man starting rotation. Oswalt is 2-2 with a 5.16 ERA in nine games, eight of which are starts.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: OF Jay Bruce (sore right hip), on the DL since June 18, went 0 for 3 in a rehab outing with Single-A St. Lucie on Friday night.Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff is scheduled to throw 75 pitches in a rehab outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. Eickhoff has been out all season with a right lat strain.UP NEXTThe teams wrap up their five-game series on Sunday night at Bowman Field in Williamsport as part of the Little League Classic. Mets LHP Jason Vargas (2-8 Billy Williams Jersey , 8.10) opposes Phillies RHP Nick Pivetta (7-9, 4.37). Vargas has struggled but had success against the Phillies the last time he faced them in 2011 with Seattle, pitching a three-hit shutout. Tuesday links!"It was a rough go of it in 2018 for the most recent top picks of the Cincinnati Reds. Nick Senzel was theoretically on the cusp of his big league debut after starting the season in AAA, but a bout with vertigo kicked that can down the road before a busted finger eliminated that chance altogether. Then, fireballer Hunter Greene ran into elbow issues that ended his season and brought up the dreaded Tommy John surgery discussion, though the teen phenom and the Reds brass ultimately opted to go the rehabilitation route instead of going under the knife.I’m knocking on wood with my fingers and eyes crossed, but it appears that route with Greene might be paying off. My source? Greene himself, who tweeted yesterday that he’s “100% and feeling great!”Throws baseballs 103 mph AND breaks news. This kid really does have it all.Greene, who just turned 19 years old in August, was limited to just 68.1 IP with Class A Dayton in 2018, and while his 4.48 ERA overall wasn’t glowing, the way he turned a corner and dominated after a rough start to the season was certainly eye-popping - especially considering he was almost 4 full years younger than league average. Over his final 13 appearances, Greene logged 58.2 IP, posting a 2.91 ERA and allowing just a .638 OPS against him Jon Lester Jersey , fanning 71 against just 13 walks in that time. That, folks, is why he’s still a consensus Top 40 overall prospect in the game and one with the highest upside out there, and it now appears that he’ll be able to be on the mound early and often in 2019. Considering there were once fears that surgery and rehab could cost him that entire season, that’s a pretty damn welcome development.If you’re in or around the Daytona, FL area next year, I’d highly suggest you keep your eyes on their probable starters and get yourself a ticket to see Greene pitch for the Tortugas.In other news, it’s beginning to look like Top Prospect Season again now that the big league year is over. Over at RedsMinorLeagues.com, Doug Gray got started on his Top 25 prospects in the Cincinnati system, and Greene certainly features prominently. Doug’s releasing his list in chunks of five every day this week, with 1-5 having dropped on Monday and 6-10 gracing our presence today. I’ve got to admit, that’s a pretty dang saucy Top 10 so far, showing just how much depth this farm has built up over the last few years.Over at Reds.com, Mark Sheldon answered some fan questions in his latest Inbox column. My best summation: those were certainly some questions asked by some fans.Speaking of answering fan questions http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , our friends over at Pinstripe Alley did some Q & A earlier this week, including an interesting question about Sonny Gray’s trade value since the Nashville native and former Oakland Athletic is readily available on the trade market. They didn’t dive into specifics, but Gray and his lone year of team control certainly are intriguing from a Reds perspective, even if it’d be ideal if they could land someone with a longer-term time frame. In another PSA piece, they mention how he might be better suited on a team that leans more fastball-heavy than breaking ball heavy, and it’s interesting to note how Gray’s FB % dropped from as high as 64.6% while with Oakland to just 35.1% with New York last year despite maintaining his 93 mph velocity. Meanwhile, the Reds just so happened to have their pitchers throw fastballs at the second highest rate in all MLB last year, and for crap’s sake we know they’re looking for pitching additions...Finally, The Enquirer’s John Fay took a quick look at some of the moves you might see from the Reds in the coming month, including a few interesting suggestions on players who might well get non-tendered.