Jacob deGrom received a six-run cushion before throwing a pitch in his return to Citi Field, and the Texas Rangers beat the New York Mets 8-3 on Friday night, handing the Mets their third seven-game losing streak of the season.
DeGrom (12-7), a two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Mets from 2014 to 2022, allowed three runs and four hits over seven innings. He retired his final 15 batters.
Texas has won 15 of its last 19 games and five straight, despite being without Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Evan Carter and Adolis GarcÃa due to injuries. The Rangers began the night two games behind Houston and Seattle in the AL West and in the race for the final AL wild card spot.
New York, opening its final homestand, has lost seven straight games three times in a season for the first time since 1980, drawing repeated boos from the home crowd. The Mets entered the night holding a 1½-game lead for the last NL wild card.
Jonah Tong (1-2) lasted just two outs in his third major league start. The 22-year-old right-hander walked three batters — all on changeups — and gave up six runs and four hits in a brutal top of the first that lasted 22 minutes. Josh Jung and Alejandro Osuna hit RBI singles, Cody Freeman added a two-run single, and Michael Helman capped the inning with a two-run double.
Tong’s outing was the shortest by a Mets starter since David Peterson recorded one out on Sept. 14, 2022.
New York responded in the third with Francisco Alvarez’s solo homer and sacrifice flies from Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. But pinch-hitter Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Gregory Soto to extend Texas’ lead.
Freeman’s single made it 4-0 early, and Mets batters went down in 29 consecutive plate appearances before Mark Vientos broke the streak with a one-out single in the second.
Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (7-9, 4.36 ERA) is scheduled to face Mets rookie RHP Brandon Sproat (0-1, 4.50 ERA) on Saturday.