Mariners v. Mets Game 2: Jacob deGrom v. Yovani Gallardo

The Mariners could not hang on to a 5-4 lead in game one, and now sit two games under .500 needing to make up ground. They will turn to Yovani Gallardo, who will be opposed by Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom. This matchup is basically the MLB equivalent of Yin v. Yang.
On paper, this matchup should make Mariners fans cringe. Yovani Gallardo is the worst option in the Mariners rotation, and until last week, he had been on bullpen assignment where he could only cause limited damage.
In 2017, Gallardo has been the epitome of a dumpster fire. His ERA is 5.58 with an accompanying WHIP of 1.49. In 92 innings, he has just 70 strikeouts with 40 walks. His batting average against currently sits at .272, and opponents are posting a .798 OPS against him. If you don’t comprehend OPS, it is on base plus slugging, and if you have an OPS of over .900, you’re in the top tier.
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So essentially, every time opponents hit against Gallardo, they are turned into solid hitters.
On the deGrom end, though, the Mets have to be over the moon. The long-haired fireballer has turned in yet another solid year. With a 12-3 record, an ERA of 3.30, and WHIP of 1.16, he far outpaces Gallardo.
That’s the season as a whole, but flash it back to eight starts ago, and deGrom had a record of 4-3 with an ERA of 4.75, and a WHIP of 1.44. The simple math shows that he has been oppressively dominant in the last 8 games.
He’s notched eight decisions, all wins, posted an ERA of 1.61, and has just one start where he didn’t make it through seven innings. That start, FYI, was 6.2 innings. Five of the eight have been eight innings or more.
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deGrom has been stellar, and Gallardo will have to pitch in vintage form if the Mariners want to have a fighting chance at winning Saturday’s game and prevent falling three games under. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM Seattle time.