Jacob deGrom stated his case. Repeatedly. The plan has the Mets either pushing him back or simply skipping his next start Tuesday. So deGrom tried to work pitching coach Dan Warthen.
“I was talking to Dan [Friday] in the dugout a little bit and said, ‘So how’s Tuesday looking?’ and I said it to him a few times, but they decided not to let me throw Tuesday,” deGrom said. “He kept saying, ‘We’ll see. We’ll see.’ ”
And that is either coach or parent talk for “No.”
Manager Terry Collins explained that in deGrom’s last few starts, “you could just see the location of his pitches is not where it needs to be” and deGrom was up in the zone so the Mets decided to give him some rest. Last season, deGrom was sensational in September after coming off the DL. Collins did not indicate when deGrom would pitch next.
“I don’t know if I necessarily need it, but I don’t think it can hurt,” said deGrom, who will be replaced for one game by Logan Verrett. “It’s what they chose to do, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
“I’ve been more up in the zone than I want to be. Normally I pitch down and then go up when I want to. I haven’t been able to get the ball down. … I’d like to say it was just one start, but I don’t think I’m tired and I think I’m all right.”
DeGrom admitted rest helped last season when “there was some shoulder fatigue” but this time “I feel fine.”
Collins dismissed a report that indicated Matt Harvey will be capped around 70 pitches Sunday.
“There is no pitch count,” Collins said. “I’m just going to limit his workload and that will be my decision, when I think he should come out.If he’s working very hard, it might be earlier. If he’s cruising, it might be later. But he’s not going to go deep into the game. We’ll just see how he does and how they react to him.”
Tyler Clippard was unavailable for a second straight day because of soreness in his lower back. Collins said the right-hander might be given a rest until Monday just to be cautious.
Lucas Duda will be in the lineup against Yankees lefty CC Sabathia, according to Collins. Duda went 1-for-2 before getting pinch hit for by Juan Uribe with the bases loaded in the sixth inning of the Mets’ 5-0 loss to the Yankees.
