SEATTLE _ There is a simplicity to Jacob deGrom that is both deceptive and pragmatic.
Once on the mound, the Mets right-hander is capable of operating at a higher level than his peers, which he has done enough to prove that it's hardly an accident. But his best work is made possible by an uncanny ability to be unburdened by mental baggage.
So, even when he spent the first part of his Saturday afternoon struggling against the Mariners, deGrom did not panic.
Instead, on a day in which he ultimately lost, deGrom showed precisely why he was bidding to win nine straight starts.
The streak is over now, made official by the Mets' 3-2 loss to the Mariners. But deGrom staged a clinic in resilience. Through three innings, he had allowed three runs, though one was unearned. He needed 73 pitches to record nine outs.
And his command had waned enough that one of his 95-mph fastballs hit Mitch Haniger square in the mouth. The scary scene that ended with Haniger leaving the game with a contusion and more tests.
For deGrom, the end seemed near. But Nelson Cruz's sacrifice fly in the third inning began a stretch of 10 straight retired. And over his final three innings of work, deGrom had allowed just one baserunner. The final line was mostly unremarkable: in six innings, deGrom surrendered three runs (two earned) in six innings. He departed with his team down two runs.
But deGrom ultimately gave the Mets a chance to win, partly because he racked up 10 strikeouts. He became the first Mets pitcher with eight double-digit strikeout games in one season since David Cone in 1992.
"It just tells you how durable he is and what a competitor he is because as we all know, you're not going to have your best stuff every time out," Mets manager Terry Collins said before the game. "So, you've got to be able to pitch with what you've got that given day. Jake can do it. He's got a knack for it. He has a feel for it. He uses his other pitches. He's not afraid to throw his fastball if he needs to use it."
In his previous eight starts, deGrom had posted a 1.61 ERA. He had equaled the franchise record for wins in consecutive starts in a single season, a mark shared by Cone, (1988), Bobby Jones (1997) and Tom Seaver (1969).
One more win for deGrom would have tied the franchise record for consecutive wins held by Frank Viola, who won nine straight from 1989 to 1990.
History wasn't in the cards, though as the day went along, that had less to do with deGrom and more to do with a Mets lineup that squandered opportunities.
In the fifth, Curtis Granderson walked and Wilmer Flores singled, giving the Mets a threat with nobody out. But Mariners starter Yovani Gallardo calmly retired the next three to end the threat.
The Mets nearly rallied again in the sixth inning _ this time with two outs. Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker laced consecutive singles before Curtis Granderson walked to load the bases.
Wilmer Flores drew another walk to off reliever Tony Zych to force in a run. But Jose Reyes ended the uprising by flying out.
In the seventh, the Mets again began an uprising, only to be turned away. Travis d'Arnaud began the inning with a single and Michael Conforto walked. But Asdrubal Cabrera's double play grounder killed the momentum.
In the ninth, Michael Conforto's two-out single to right off Mariners closer Edwin Diaz gave the Mets one more chance. But Cabrera struck out to end it.
