Jacob deGrom’s no decisions, Erik Goeddel’s WHIP, RISP update

Jacob deGrom pitched a tremendous game last night. Wait, wait – stop me if you’ve heard this one before, he got a no decision. Yep, 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks and not a win to show for it, as after scoring six runs the night before, the Mets needed extra innings to score three. In this one, deGrom left with the lead but the Padres scored a run in the ninth to send it into extras and saddle deGrom with his ninth no decision of the season.

That total of nine no decisions is the top mark on the staff this year and one more than he had last season. Matt Harvey gets all of the attention for poor run support and no decisions yet deGrom may take over the crown. Both had eight no decisions last year, as did Noah Syndergaard. But that was good for a tie for second place on the club, behind Jon Niese’s 10.

The franchise record for no decisions in a season is the 17 that Oliver Perez posted back in 2008. But the guy who probably holds the distinction as the no decision king is Ron Darling. From 1984-1987, Darling came away without a decision 50 times, as he received 13 no decisions in both 1985 and 1986 and 12 in both 1984 and 1987.

It’s the third time in the last four games that deGrom has not figured in the decision, despite having a 0.65 ERA during the stretch. Last night’s game lowered deGrom’s ERA to a 2.30 mark, the fourth best in the majors and besting last year’s mark of 2.54 in 191 IP. For his major league career, deGrom now has a 2.52 ERA in 464.2 IP. He also has 73 starts and 24 no decisions.

GOEDDEL GOES AND GETS ‘EM: Erik Goeddel came on Saturday night to get the final two outs in eighth inning. This followed up a scoreless inning the night before. He’s now unscored upon in seven August outings, a nice change from a poor July, in which he gave up runs in five of his 11 appearances. For the season, Goeddel has a strong 2.70 ERA in 26.2 IP. But what’s really remarkable about Goeddel this year is his WHIP, which checks in at an other-worldly 0.750 mark. You probably recognize that as a really good WHIP. What you may not know is that it’s the best mark in franchise history among players with at least 20 IP. The leader coming into 2016 was Mike Birkbeck, who posted a 0.867 WHIP in 27.2 IP back in 1995. If Goeddel stumbles down the stretch, we might still have a new WHIP leader, as Addison Reed has a 0.878 mark so far this season.

RISP UPDATE: So much has been made of the Mets’ inability to produce with Runners in Scoring Position (RISP) this season – and rightly so. The Mets are last in the league in this split in PA (948), Runs (254), AVG (.204), OPS (.605) and BABIP (.245). They’re also last in other categories but you get the idea. The National League has a .297 BABIP in this split, with a .746 OPS. But, hey, at least they’ve moved ahead of the expansion San Diego Padres, who managed just a .201 AVG with RISP back in 1969. The Padres, who won just 52 games that year, had three guys who performed pretty well in this split among their top four guys with the most chances. Nate Colbert (.881 OPS), Ollie Brown (.796) and Al Ferrara (.853) had the second through fourth most PA with RISP. Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson (.402) has the most chances for the 2016 Mets and Asdrubal Cabrera (.504) has the fourth most.

LET’S PRETEND IT’S JUNE AGAIN: One of the bright spots for the 2016 Mets was the unexpected slugging boost provided by mid-season acquisition James Loney. After a tremendous game on July 1, where he had three hits, including a double and a homer, Loney had an .840 OPS. But in his last 35 games, Loney has just five extra-base hits in 131 PA. In this span he has a .254/.298/.328 line. It never feels like he’s struggling, because he usually manages to get on base every game. Loney has just two 0-for-4 games in this stretch. But after being so good in his first 29 games with the club, he’s been just as big of a disappointment in his last 35. And that’s with having the platoon advantage the overwhelming amount of the time. And for what it’s worth, Loney has a .220/.286/.300 mark in 57 PA with RISP.

GOOD RIDDANCE: When the Mets activated Jose Reyes from the disabled list, they sent Matt Reynolds back to Triple-A. Because of a BABIP-fueled 2014, Reynolds has had his share of supporters throughout Metsland. However, in 1,010 PA for Las Vegas, Reynolds has a .279/.336/.410 line. This is not the hitting of someone who’s going to be an asset at the major league level. Using our translation, that’s the equivalent of a .272 OBP and a .271 SLG in the majors. Reynolds didn’t get a ton of playing time with the Mets but in 80 PA he had a .231 OBP and a .382 SLG. Yes, he was a pleasant surprise with his slugging. But that couldn’t make up for his giant issues making contact, as Reynolds posted a 36.3 K%. It probably won’t be the last we see of Reynolds, as he’s likely to be back once rosters expand. But I’d rather make a move and get Gavin Cecchini on the 40-man and see him, instead.