The New York Mets are opting to start Taijuan Walker for Game 2 of the Subway Series instead of Jacob deGrom as planned.
DeGrom encountered an issue while warming up before his last start, causing him to be pushed back from starting against the Yankees. Walker will be the starter for the game instead of deGrom.
The 30-year-old got the assignment due to his Monday workout impressing the team leaders despite facing issues in a previous game. The Mets played against the Atlanta Braves on August 15 with Walker as the starter but he had to leave after the second inning due to back discomfort.
“A lot of things factored into [the decision]. Tai, we didn’t want him to get too far away from pitching and losing arm strength and some of the things you might lose when you get that far away from it. That was the primary decision,” said Mets manager Buck Showalter.
He continued to explain that deGrom didn’t have a normal warmup before starting to pitch. The athlete proceeded to throw a season record of 95 pitches in the last game he started.
“He was fine once he got warmed up and everything. Every guy has similar stuff like that… he actually improved being that he threw more than he has. Obviously, the priority was Tai and we felt they could all benefit from a little extra time with that off day,” said Showalter.
Careful team rotations
As a result of the decision to delay deGrom’s start, Max Scherzer and deGrom will not be playing in the same rotation. When asked about this, Showalter said that the team wasn’t specifically planning it but the result was a “byproduct.”
He added that the team is being cautious as the team’s rotations have been heavily affected by the recent injuries. deGrom is slated to start playing on Friday or Thursday with Chris Bassitt starting for whichever game deGrom doesn’t end up playing.
“The feedback we get from [deGrom], and everybody, on where he is, the torque and the things you do to create what he creates… We don’t think it’s a bad thing for Jake and for Bass. We’ve gone a long stretch here where these guys haven’t gotten much extra time,” said Showalter.
Showalter also said Carlos Carrasco’s absence is heavily influencing the team’s decisions when it comes to rotations. The 35-year-old will be unable to play for a few weeks due to an oblique injury after the match against the Braves.
“Until we get Carlos back and make sure that Tai is OK, it’s one of those things if you plan too much there is nothing given, that Max is going to pitch deeper into a game. But if you go by track record it probably makes sense to split those guys up,” said Showalter.
Mets pitcher Adam Ottavino has praised the current management strategy as it doesn’t put the burden of winning on just a few players.
“I have been on teams where we kind of put the pedal to the metal early and it seems great, but maybe you sputter out when you don’t want to…,” said Ottavino.
“I think we are trying our best to win but also keep everybody fresh and available as much as possible.”