Jacob deGrom catches heat from Mike Francesa despite 11-strikeout performance

Jacob deGrom struck out 11 but gave up three runs as the Braves beat the Mets, prompting Mike Francesa to blame him for the loss.

When your pitcher strikes out 10 batters and gives up no more than three runs, they’re usually not the one to blame for a loss.

Apparently, Mike Francesa didn’t get that memo.

The radio personality went after Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom as New York lost the first game of a pivotal series against the Braves on Friday night, 5-2.

Mike Francesa has insane take on Jacob deGrom vs. Braves

“deGrom didn’t do the job despite 11 k’s. Mets miss Marte a lot,” Francesa tweeted.

deGrom struck out 11. He did struggle to contain the Braves’ power, giving up three home runs on the night. However, it wasn’t a poor performance by any stretch.

The bigger issue was run support. The Mets went ahead 1-0 in the second inning but didn’t get another man on base until the sixth inning and didn’t score again until the eighth when they already trailed 5-1.

deGrom gave his teammates plenty of time to respond to the home runs and they didn’t “do the job.”

Braves starter Max Fried even exited the game after five innings, so the Mets had opportunities to get ahead against the Atlanta bullpen and couldn’t make something happen.

This wasn’t about deGrom. It was about New York not generating the necessary runs.

deGrom ended up coming out after six innings even though he’d thrown just 84 pitches. Fans and media wondered why he didn’t get more time on the mound but after the game manager Buck Showalter revealed the pitcher was dealing with a blood blister. They didn’t want to take any chances with it.

The Mets will have a chance to even the series on Saturday evening.