Cubs draw another stud starter in Mets ace deGrom
It is not going to get any easier for the Chicago Cubs.
Down 2-0 to the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series after having their big bats silenced by starters Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard in Games 1 and 2 at Citi Field over the weekend, the Cubs now have to deal with Jacob deGrom in Game 3 at Wrigley Field Tuesday night.
If there is an ace in the Mets' talented young rotation, it is deGrom. The 27-year-old right-hander was 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA during the regular season and he won both NLDS starts against the Dodgers while allowing 2 runs and striking out 20 in 13 innings.
“This is what we play for,” deGrom said at Wrigley during Monday's workout. “We play to get this chance, and you never know how many times you're going to get it, so you want to make the best of it.”
During the regular season, the Cubs got the best of deGrom twice, beating him at home on May 11 and at Citi Field on July 2.
In 10⅓ total innings against the Cubs, deGrom allowed 7 earned runs on 12 hits and 6 walks.
“The playoffs, it's just a completely different ballgame,” said Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant. “I noticed Harvey and Syndergaard pitched us completely different (in the NLCS) than they did the first times we faced them. You never know. They all throw three pitches that are really good, but playing here, I think it gives us more confidence than playing over there.
“He (deGrom) is a good pitcher and I'm sure he's going to bring it tomorrow, but I'm confident we'll come out ready to go.”
After losing to the Cubs in July at New York, deGrom won his next four decisions and helped the Mets surge into the playoffs.
“I haven't looked back at it too much,” deGrom said of his Cubs losses. “I know they weren't very good starts. I'm going to flush that and I know this is the playoffs, so it's going to be a good start for me.”
The pressure is definitely on the Cubs and starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks.
The right-hander dealt with similar stress in the NLDS, pitching against the Cardinals in Game 2 after the Cubs lost the opener.
“I mean, yeah, there's pressure,” said Hendricks, who pitched 4⅔ innings against St. Louis and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in a 6-3 win. “It's the playoffs. There's always going to be some pressure, but you've got to let the pleasure exceed that. We've heard Joe (Maddon) say it a lot. I'm just going to go out and try to have fun. This is why you play the game, this is why you want the ball. So pressure in a way is sometimes a good thing.”
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