FLUSHING, N.Y. -- New York Mets manager Terry Collins said there is "a pretty good chance" that starting pitcher Jacob deGrom's next start will be skipped, as he looks to rebound from consecutive poor performances against the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.
Mets staff and deGrom say his issue is with his release point, a problem that caused him trouble earlier this season. DeGrom said the team's TrackMan technology found his release point was two inches higher and two inches more toward first base in his past two starts than it usually is for him.
That appears to have impacted the performance of deGrom's fastball, against which the Cardinals and Giants batted .500 (16-for-32), and his slider, a pitch with which he typically gets strikes at a 68 percent rate. He threw only 13 of 23 (57 percent) for strikes in his past two starts.
DeGrom was roughed up for eight runs and 13 hits in five innings in a 10-7 loss to the Giants, then five runs and 12 hits in 4⅔ innings in an 8-1 loss to the Cardinals.
"I want to be out there, but I think this is going to help me in the long run," deGrom said of skipping a start.
The Mets did not yet have a replacement in mind, though Terry Collins listed Sean Gilmartin, Gabriel Ynoa, Logan Verrett, Seth Lugo and Rafael Montero as possibilities. Lugo would be starting on short rest after pitching five innings Thursday. Montero has a 1.70 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Binghamton.
Collins and general manager Sandy Alderson said deGrom has performed well after having extended rest in the past. That was true in 2015, when deGrom skipped a turn after allowing six runs in five innings against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 15. Upon returning, he allowed one run in 17 innings with 29 strikeouts in his next three starts, including a win in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets hope for Steven Matz to start on Wednesday, Collins said after the team's win on Friday. Matz has been out with shoulder inflammation, but played catch without issue on Friday. He will throw again on Sunday, at which time the Mets will decide whether to activate him from the disabled list in time to pitch next week.