German allowed three earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out nine across six innings Saturday against the Mets. He did not factor into the decision.
German looked to be in for a disappointing start as he allowed all three of his earned runs in the first inning, but he managed to keep the Mets scoreless for his next five innings of work. He generated an impressive 19 swinging strikes on his way to nine strikeouts, matching his career-best mark. Although his 5.32 ERA is uninspiring, German has gotten a longer leash in each of his past three starts, pitching at least 5.2 innings in each of them for a total of 18.1 innings. He has taken advantage by striking out 19 batters in that span.