Jacob deGrom gives up five runs in loss

The Braves reportedly had inquired about deGrom, who is making $38 million in the fourth year of a five-year, $185 million contract. He has full no-trade protection.

DeGrom gave up two singles to start the sixth inning, but Robby Ahlstrom was able to strand both runners after taking over, maintaining the Rangers’ 3-1 lead. That, however, disappeared during the Mariners’ four-run seventh inning. As a result, deGrom remained winless in three starts this month. He’ll take a 7-6 record and a 3.67 ERA into his next start against the Astros.

Making his first start in 17 days after dealing with a glute issue, deGrom was able to get through four innings allowing just one run, but he gave up four hits and a walk during a four-run fifth that saw him get pulled with two outs. The loss dropped him to 7-6 with a 3.76 ERA. He’ll probably be sharper next time out against the Mariners.

There was some lingering uncertainty whether deGrom would be ready to take the ball coming out of the All-Star break after being scratched from his final first-half outing with a mild glute strain. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his second-half debut to ensure that his effectiveness hasn’t been adversely impacted. He’s probably going to be on a shorter pitch count in this outing as well. The 38-year-old veteran is in line for a two-start week with a home matchup against the Mariners on tap for Sunday.

The Rangers will open with Cal Quantrill and MacKenzie Gore against the Braves on Friday and Saturday, leaving a TBA slot open for deGrom on Sunday. DeGrom missed his last start before the All-Star break with what was announced as a “mild left glute strain.” There’s no reason to think that he’s going to go on IL over this yet, and deGrom did tell reporters that he was going to throw off the mound in Atlanta. It’s possible he’s pushed back beyond Sunday.

The Rangers are considering the possibility of placing deGrom on the injured list, but with the timing of the All-Star break they aren’t sure if it’s necessary or not yet. Either way, it sounds like the 38-year-old right-hander should only wind up missing a start or two. No word yet on who will take his place on the slab for Sunday’s first half finale.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters afterwards that deGrom was battling a hip issue that limited him to just five innings out of an abundance of caution. The 38-year-old veteran expressed optimism that he’ll be ready to take the ball for Sunday’s first-half finale against the Astros. He gave up a pair of runs in the first inning on a walk and two hits. He then tossed four more scoreless frames, scattering three more hits and one walk while striking out seven batters. He’ll carry a solid 3.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 122/22 K/BB ratio across 100 2/3 innings into his final first-half outing this weekend.

DeGrom gave up a two-run homer to Kyle Manzardo right away in the first, but he was extremely impressive otherwise. He topped out at 100.5 mph and averaged 98.7 mph with his fastball. That’s 1.6 mph better than his season average and his high in a game since Apr. 28, 2023, which was his final start prior to Tommy John surgery. Since the Rangers have Friday and Monday off, deGrom probably won’t pitch again until next Tuesday against the Angels. If they want to get aggressive, they could skip Cal Quantrill and start him Sunday against the Tigers.

deGrom also struck out eight and walked two while throwing 64 percent of his pitches for strikes. He gave up only one extra base hit on the day, but it happened to be a Griffin Conine double that brought in a run in the fourth inning. deGrom was aggressive with his slider usage today, throwing the pitch 50 percent of the time, while posting a 27 percent swinging strike rate on it. His four-seam command was a bit worse, which could be why he dialed back his usage of that pitch a bit. Regardless, this was a solid outing for the veteran, who will face the Guardians next week.

Making the start on his 38th birthday, deGrom got off to a rough start in this one. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to start the inning and followed that up with a single to Samad Taylor. He would retire the next two batters he faced via strikeout, but would surrender an RBI single to Gavin Sheets. DeGrom would walk Xander Bogaerts in the following at-bat, and then gave up a grand slam to Ty France to put the Rangers in a 5-0 deficit before they even had a chance to swing the bats. It was the first time in deGrom’s career that he allowed five or more runs in an inning, but aside from another solo homer to France in the fourth inning, he would bounce back nicely to throw five strong innings after his disastrous first frame. It’s the third time this season that deGrom has allowed six earned runs in a start, but he continues to have a respectable 3.59 ERA and has been more solid than not thus far. He’ll look to pick up his seventh win of the season in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday in Miami.