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Jake checked by umps as he 1-hits Braves over 5, but Mets settle for split

By MIKE PUMA mpuma@nypost.com

After a dominant first inning, Jacob deGrom became the first pitcher in the majors to be checked under MLB’s new foreign-substance policy. It didn’t affect him as he threw five shutout innings in a 4-2 win before the Mets were blanked 1-0 by the Braves in the nightcap.

Jacob deGrom ended one streak Monday and continued another.

Most importantly to the Mets, for the first time in three starts their ace finished his performance without some kind of discomfort. On another front, deGrom extended his scoreless streak to 30 innings since May 25.

DeGrom’s dominance over five innings carried the Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Braves in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Citi Field.

In the nightcap, the Mets couldn’t touch Ian Anderson and the Braves bullpen in a 1-0 loss.

Overall, the right-hander allowed one hit over five innings with six strikeouts and two walks, departing after 70 pitches. DeGrom had departed his previous start against the Cubs after only three innings because of right shoulder discomfort. In the start before that, he exited with right flexor tendinitis after six innings against the Padres.

“I felt good,” deGrom said. “I think that is why we decided at that 70-pitch mark to say that was enough. I didn’t want to overdo it.

“I do not like coming out of baseball games and hopefully that last one was the last time this year, so I thought it was the right move there.”

DeGrom’s latest brilliance lowered his mind-blowing ERA to 0.50 and placed him in position to set the Mets record for consecutive scoreless innings in his next start. R.A. Dickey set that mark in 2012, when he pitched 32 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

“Definitely a huge game for him to come in and just show that he’s OK and put the team in a position to win the game at the same time,” manager Luis Rojas said.

Dominic Smith delivered the game’s biggest hit with a basesloaded double in the fifth that knocked in three runs and gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. That hit loomed larger the next inning when Ozzie Albies smashed a two-run homer against Seth Lugo.

As part of the Mets’ three-run burst in the fifth, Jeff McNeil delivered a pinch-hit single in his first appearance for the team since May 16, when he strained his left hamstring.

The Braves didn’t get their first hit until the fifth, when Kevan Smith was awarded a ground-rule double on a ball that landed between Dominic Smith and Albert Almora Jr. in an obvious miscommunication between the outfielders and bounced over the fence. The bounce was lucky for the Mets in that Guillermo Heredia, who was running from first base with two outs and crossed the plate, got sent back to third base. DeGrom then retired pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval to keep the Mets’ lead at 1-0.

Heredia had walked on four straight pitches with two outs to give the Braves their second base runner.

DeGrom received an initiation to MLB’s crackdown on foreign substances as he left the mound following the final out in the first inning. As he neared the foul line, umpires converged on deGrom and examined his cap and the inside of his belt. The ritual was repeated as Braves pitcher Kyle Muller left the mound following the first inning. DeGrom was again checked after getting the final out in the fifth.

“They said going in they were going to check and I expected it,” deGrom said.

All of the pitchers in the nightcap were checked without incident.

DeGrom missed on a full-count slider to Kyle Muller in the third, walking the Braves pitcher. Muller battled in the at-bat, falling behind 0-2 before taking three straight sliders for balls, fouling off a fastball and then drawing the walk. In his previous 29 innings, deGrom had issued only one walk.

“There in the third, I kind of lost it a little bit,” deGrom said. “Noticed that I was flying open and that’s why I wasn’t able to locate, but then … I was able to make a couple of pitches when I needed to.”

The Mets got a run in the first without the benefit of a hit. Jonathan Villar scored from third on a wild pitch after drawing a leadoff walk and advancing bases on Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice bunt and Smith’s fly out.

Among the questions before the game was whether deGrom would be allowed to swing the bat. Though deGrom entered batting .423, he may have incurred his shoulder discomfort in his previous start on a hard swing and miss. On this day deGrom came to bat in the second and fouled off a bunt attempt before swinging away and flying out to center.

“I was just trying to slap the ball, not take a crazy swing there,” deGrom said. “I felt like I aggravated the shoulder on the swing last time so I was just trying to be smart there.”

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2021-06-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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