Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom took the loss in his start against the Cubs on Thursday. deGrom allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings, his shortest outing and most earned runs allowed since May 11. deGrom walked two and struck out two, as his ERA rose to 2.30 on the season.
deGrom (8-6) didn't pitch all that poorly. But his offense and his defense failed to help him out in this one. The Mets' bats were stymied by opposing pitcher Jake Arrieta.
A Mets' throwing error in the fifth inning allowed a go-ahead run to score, giving the Cubs a lead they would not give back. deGrom did give up a two-run home run to Jonathan Herrera in the sixth, but the Mets were already down 2-1 at that point, leaving deGrom with his sixth loss of the season.
"I didn't have the game I wanted," deGrom said, per MLB.com. "I had a tough time commanding my pitches. I was wild. I just struggled out there today.
"Even in the bullpen, I was struggling with my command," deGrom said. "It's happened before, and I've come out and had good command in the game. It's just one of those days."