Major League Baseball

Mets toss 2nd straight shutout as deGrom beats Rockies 3-0

Published Aug. 12, 2015 10:04 p.m. ET

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NEW YORK (AP) With a pitching clinic from their pair of aces, the New York Mets are making it another miserable trip to Citi Field for the Colorado Rockies.

Jacob deGrom conceded only two hits and struck out 10 in seven innings, leading the Mets past Colorado 3-0 on Wednesday night for their second consecutive shutout against the Rockies.

''Best pitcher in the game, hands down,'' Colorado slugger Carlos Gonzalez said. ''When you get two strikes against a guy like him, you don't even know what to look for.''

Yoenis Cespedes hit his first home run for the surging Mets, who have won 10 of 12. Juan Uribe stroked an RBI double in the fourth and Michael Cuddyer followed with a run-scoring single on a night when both players reached 1,500 career hits.

''We're in the Hall of Fame if we can go in as a tandem,'' Cuddyer said, drawing laughs.

Surprise leaders in the NL East, the Mets (62-52) matched their season high at 10 games over .500. They handed Colorado its ninth defeat in a row at Citi Field since 2013 - after the Rockies won eight straight in the ballpark the previous two years.

New York improved to 41-18 at home, the best record in franchise history after 59 games. The team has already surpassed its 2014 win total (40) in the cozy Queens stadium.

The crowd of 37,175 on this night included comedian and actor Chris Rock, who mouthed ''Let's Go Mets'' when he appeared on the giant video board early in the game.

Last season's NL Rookie of the Year, deGrom (11-6) lowered his ERA to 2.03 - second-best in the majors behind Zack Greinke (1.65) of the Dodgers. He finished with his eighth career double-digit strikeout game and fourth this season.

''My command was off a little bit,'' said deGrom, who equaled a season high with four walks. ''But other than that I felt good. I had good command of my curveball and my changeup and was able to (build) off of that.''

The right-hander escaped a major jam in the fifth, aided by Uribe's savvy play at third base on a safety squeeze, and tied fellow ace Matt Harvey for the team lead in wins. Harvey yielded four hits over eight innings in a 4-0 victory Tuesday night.

''Very similar pitchers. I don't know who's better, but both were very good. Tough matchup,'' Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu said.

Tyler Clippard quickly worked a perfect eighth, and Jeurys Familia fanned two in the ninth for his 32nd save in 37 attempts. Mets pitchers have thrown a season-high 23 straight scoreless innings.

Cespedes sent a solo shot to right-center off reliever Christian Bergman in the eighth. The slugger had 18 home runs for Detroit when the Mets acquired him minutes before the July 31 trade deadline.

''That ball was hit pretty good, wasn't it?'' Mets manager Terry Collins said. ''I'm not concerned. I know he's going to hit. ... He's going to get it going and he's going to carry us a lot of nights.''

Jorge De La Rosa (7-5) gave up four hits over six innings for the last-place Rockies, who have dropped 15 of 20 on the road. He struck out seven and walked two.

Colorado has lost seven in a row to the Mets overall since winning in Denver on May 3, 2014.

ZERO HOUR

Mets pitchers have a 0.67 ERA during the home winning streak against Colorado, blanked in four of the past five meetings. New York also tossed back-to-back shutouts at Citi Field against the Rockies last September. ... The Mets won 10 home games in a row against the Rockies at Shea Stadium from 2003-05.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: Lefty reliever Boone Logan, who struggled in the first two games of the series, got the night off after pitching the previous three days.

Mets: 1B Lucas Duda (stiff back) was out of the lineup against a lefty starter for the second night in a row. Collins would like to play Duda against RHP Eddie Butler when New York goes for a four-game sweep in Thursday's matinee. ... Cuddyer played first base, his second consecutive start since returning Monday from a stint on the disabled list due to inflammation in his left knee. ... Streaking 2B-3B Daniel Murphy was rested.

UP NEXT

Butler (3-9, 5.50 ERA) faces Noah Syndergaard (6-6, 3.01) in the series finale, a matchup of highly touted rookies. Syndergaard has impressed at Citi Field, where he is 6-1 with a 1.57 ERA in eight starts while compiling 60 strikeouts and only six walks. Butler has struggled overall, going 0-3 with a 7.29 ERA in four outings since getting recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on July 19. ''We feel like there's still some more growth out in front of him,'' manager Walt Weiss said. ''He's got the weapons. It's a matter of just becoming more polished as a pitcher.''

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Cespedes hit his first 18 home runs with Detroit this season.

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