NEW YORK (AP) - Atlanta has four runs in 33 innings against Jacob deGrom this season and is 5-0 against him.
“He knows that those guys are out there trying to score runs for him every night and it’s just not happening,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said after the Braves beat deGrom and the New York Mets 2-1 Friday night.
Johan Camargo homered in the second, a drive off the facing of the second deck in right field. DeGrom hit a tying single in the third against Anibal Sanchez (5-7), then allowed Ozzie Albies’ go-ahead double in the fifth.
“He does a really good job of controlling the part of the game he can,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s one of those guys that you can’t make mistakes and you gotta make plays and you got to take advantage of every opportunity that you got against him because as what you see he pitched well enough to win the game tonight.”
DeGrom (5-7) gave up six hits in eight inning innings while striking out nine and retiring his final 12 batters after Albies doubled. He leads the major leagues with a 1.85 ERA but is 0-5 in seven starts since June 18, tying the most consecutive decisions he has lost in his big league career.
Atlanta won its fifth straight, tying its season high, and remained a half-game behind NL East-leading Philadelphia. The Braves are 11-3 against the Mets, who have lost four straight and dropped a season-high 19 games under .500 at 44-63. The Mets have lost 42 of their last 61 games overall and 24 of their last 33 home games.
DeGrom has a 1.09 ERA against Atlanta but no wins.
“I don’t like losing baseball games,” deGrom said. “It’s not something I ever want to get used to. Nobody in here likes losing. Go around and ask anybody in here if they had fun tonight losing that game. I don’t think anybody would say yes.”
DeGrom pitched seven scoreless innings on April 21, when the Braves won on a walk-off single. On May 2, the Braves scored seven times after deGrom hyperextended his elbow on a swing in the third and left following the fourth.
He gave up one run in seven innings on May 28, when the Braves won on Charlie Culberson’s walk-off homer. Atlanta scored a run off deGrom on June 13 in a 2-0 victory.
“He knows he can’t control it,” Callaway said.
Albies gave the Braves the lead when his double to the left-field corner drove in Ronald Acuna Jr., who had doubled with two outs.
DeGrom allowed three runs or fewer for the 19th straight start, but the Mets have scored 54 runs with deGrom on the mound in 22 starts this season - including 28 in 16 dating back to May 2.
Mixing in an effective cutter with his splitter, Sanchez (6-3) allowed two hits in six innings and struck out a season-high nine, including Michael Conforto and Todd Frazier to end the sixth after Jose Bautista’s walk.
Three pitchers followed with hitless relief in the fourth two-hitter this season against the Mets, who were held to one run or fewer for the 24th time.
Dan Winkler allowed a leadoff walk to Austin Jackson in the seventh but induced Amed Rosario to hit into a double play. Jesse Biddle was aided by right fielder Nick Markakis’ second diving catch of the game during a perfect eighth.
A.J. Minter worked around a two-out error by Camargo at third in the ninth and remained perfect in eight save chances.
BRAVES PITCHERS VS. DEGROM
Atlanta’s starting pitchers in the five games against deGrom - Julio Teheran, Sean Newcomb, Max Fried, Mike Soroka and Sanchez - have combined to allow three runs and 12 hits in 31 1/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: LHP Steven Matz was placed on the 10-day DL with a flexor pronator strain in his left arm. The Mets think Matz will miss only one start but will re-evaluate him after he plays catch on Saturday. … RHP Corey Oswalt was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas and will start in Matz’s place Sunday.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Kevin Gausman (5-8, 4.43 ERA) will make his Braves debut after being acquired from Baltimore on Tuesday. Gausman has been in New York most of the week since the Orioles were playing the Yankees when he was traded.
Mets: RHP Zack Wheeler (5-6, 4.11) is 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA in his last six starts.
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