Jacob deGrom’s latest trip to the mound turned into the kind of night the Texas Rangers could not afford.
One week after he was tipping his hat at Globe Life Field after reaching 2,000 career strikeouts, deGrom ran into a brutal first inning Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox and never recovered. The Rangers right-hander was chased before he could finish the fourth inning in the second game of the three-game series at Rate Field.
The damage came fast. DeGrom gave up six runs in the opening inning, the most he has ever allowed in a first inning and only the second time in his career he has surrendered at least six runs in any inning, according to MLB.com. The other six-run inning came on Sept. 6, 2017, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
That early collapse wiped out the momentum from Monday’s 11-run performance that helped Texas cruise in the series opener. It also stood out in a season where deGrom had not often been hit that hard. He had already allowed six runs in a game three other times this year - on May 5 against the New York Yankees, May 22 against the Los Angeles Angels and June 19 against San Diego.
By the end of the night, the line was even harsher: eight runs, all earned, in 3.2 innings. He allowed six hits and five walks while striking out two.
The pitch mix told part of the story. Statcast showed deGrom leaning on his four-seam fastball 51% of the time, a sign his off-speed stuff was not landing the way he wanted.
His slider, thrown 24% of the time, produced no whiffs at all, and hitters offered at it just four times. Across 87 pitches, he generated only 10 whiffs and 10 called strikes, while opponents swung at 35 pitches, including 19 fastballs.
That was a sharp turn from his previous start against Washington, when deGrom looked completely in control. In that outing, he became the 95th pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,000 strikeouts, and he backed it up with six innings of one-hit ball, 10 strikeouts and one walk.
For Texas, the timing could hardly have been worse. The Rangers entered the game one-half game ahead of the Houston Astros in the American League West race, and when an ace takes the ball, the expectation is at least a quality start. Instead, deGrom delivered the season’s roughest outing.
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