1st HR of the season tonight :-)

His strikeout rate is way down too. Coming in to this season it was 7.3/27 BF. This year it's 4.5/27 BF. 

2 starts vs Colorado 16 Runs support

Other 6 starts 12 Runs support

deGrom has thrown 541 pitches so far this year - with an average velocity of 96.5 mph

I'll bet that there is a very large number of very good starting pitchers who didn't throw 541 pitches above 96 mph in their career.

Maybe the lesson here is that even though you can throw gas on every pitch - perhaps you shouldn't...  ?

Gotta say ... I see a .367 BABIP combined with a 51% ground ball rate and only an 18% hard hit ball rate ... and I think that shuffling the infield can't hurt

https://nypost.com/2021/05/10/jacob-degrom-going-on-injured-list-in-new-mets-headache/

His hard hit percentage has collapsed ... and with it, his BABIP and his HR/FB rate.

Along with Lindor, a buy low candidate?

I got the first one.

But the one to Villar I guess was a judgment that Villar's speed would keep him from being doubled up?

Nonetheless, as I noted - by putting the Mets in a situation where they HAD to send Alonso on even weak contact - they made a play at the plate impossible. 

The first one is to put the force in play, obviously. If you are the visiting team then there isn't too much of a risk.

Speaking of ghost runners ... what kind of strategy was Arizona employing in the 10th the other night?

Crichton comes in to start the 10th
Alonso starts on 2B
D'backs intentionally walk Dom Smith
Kevin Pillar flies out to right ... Alonso advances to 3B
Crichton intentionally walks Villar
Mazeika swinging, hits weak grounder up 1B line, Alonso scores

Note that both intentional walks were of the automatic kind, and not "pitcher misses the strike zone once or twice so they go ahead and put the batter on" kind.

Talk about "hoist by your own petard!"   By walking the .226 hitting Villar - the D'Backs basically forced the Mets to send Alonso on contact ... when a weak dribbler might have led the 3B coach to hold him rather than risk losing the lead runner.

I guess managers are still figuring this shit out ... but they're not necessarily doing it well.

Before the stats feed: .341 BABIP.

Yesterday's Top Performers

Pitchers:

Adam Wainwright* (STL): 8.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 79 GmSc

Tyler Anderson* (PIT): 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 71 GmSc

Sandy Alcantara (MIA): 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 67 GmSc

Huascar Ynoa (ATL): 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 65 GmSc

Jacob deGrom (NYM): 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 64 GmSc

View All of Yesterday's Pitchers at Baseball-Reference.com

* - pictured above

Before the stat feed, his batting average (.175) is still higher than his BABIP (.172).

I would swear he does damage just about every day, but apparently not.

Yesterday's Top Performers

Batters:

Kyle Tucker* (HOU): 2-3, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

Freddie Freeman* (ATL): 3-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Adolis García* (TEX): 3-4, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 R

Jake Cronenworth (SDP): 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Wilmer Difo (PIT): 3-5, 3 RBI, 2 R

Rafael Devers (BOS): 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Lewis Brinson (MIA): 3-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Yermin Mercedes (CHW): 2-5, 3 RBI, 1 R

Dansby Swanson (ATL): 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Fernando Tatis Jr. (SDP): 2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

View All of Yesterday's Batters at Baseball-Reference.com

Here's a surprise.

Joel Sherman in the Post today, looking at the 23 contracts to date that have exceeded $200 million...

4.The mega-deals for pitching aged better than those for hitting. Gerrit Cole still has seven-plus years left and, so far, so great. Clayton Kershaw’s seven-year, $215 million Dodgers deal included four top-five NL Cy Young finishes in five years before he opted out. Max Scherzer’s seven-year, $210 million pact with Washington concludes this season and is in the conversation for the best contract ever (five top-five Cy finishes, two wins and a championship). Zack Greinke’s six-year, $206.5 million pact was traded by Arizona to Houston, but he has been a durable, excellent pitcher throughout.

https://nypost.com/2021/05/08/albert-pujols-angels-ending-is-a-mega-deal-warning-sherman/

This past week he went 0-7 with 10 walks. Protection please.

https://nypost.com/2021/05/09/luke-voit-tearing-up-minors-with-yankees-return-imminent/

Walks Betts, gives up a bloop single to Seager, protecting a 2-1 lead. Retires the next two and the Angels take two out of three.

Quintana started for the Angels, Bauer for the Dodgers.

Takes strike one, then strike two, then hits the next pitch, which is at eye level and inside, between the first baseman and the bag for a single.

It's not on the highlights but it should be.

In another three true outcome day, his batting average drops to .376.

Tonight's FAAB results ...

Amnesia Reboot: rel JFeyereisen Mil, prr JFamilia NYM 1
Fisher Catamounts: rel BGoodwin CWS, prr WDifo Pit 5
Lynch Mob: rel BDoyle Col, prr SDuggar SF 4
Sugar Kings: rel DMay LAD, prr CStammen SD 3
Sugar Kings: rel KGinkel Ari, prr THill SD 3
Choes Balin: rel MWhite LAD, prr DPeters LAD 2
Dirk Bags: rel MAllan NYM, prr RHelsley StL 2
Plato's Cave: rel SReidFoley NYM, prr KFinnegan Was 2
Plato's Cave: rel ADean StL, prr WCrowe Pit 5
Rhys's Pieces: rel EInciarte Atl, prr CJoe Col 1
Replacement Level Drinkers: rel JDevers Mia, prr TFrazier Pit 1

At the end of the season it would be interesting to see what percentage of the time the "ghost runners" scored as opposed to when a batter reached 2nd with 0 outs in the 1st 9 innings.