#Jacob deGrom ‘hot spot’ shows how quick it can all change for Mets: Sherman

This season is doubling as a torture chamber for pitchers. So when a contingent of Mets, including trainer Brian Chicklo, huddled around Jacob deGrom in the second inning, you could imagine Citi Field would have been as quiet with a full house as the cardboard cutout fans were.

DeGrom literally showed Chicklo the middle finger on his right hand. The ace would say after a 4-2 Mets victory over the Marlins that he had more of a “hot spot” than a blister and would declare himself available every fifth day.

But you see how precarious this season is for the Mets — a season already more than one-quarter over if MLB is fortunate enough to complete 60 games. Early Sunday the Mets had placed Michael Wacha (shoulder inflammation) on the injured list where he joined Noah Syndergaard, who will not be coming back in 2020, and Marcus Stroman, still yet to pitch this year.

That rotation depth the Mets believed they had in spring is now like Ron Swoboda or Mookie Wilson, part of their history. It could choke you up, except if there is no crying in baseball, that is more true than ever this year and never more so than when the Marlins — or at least the guys in the Marlins uniform — are in the other dugout.

Due to a COVID-19 outbreak on their team, the Marlins did not play for eight days, have already used 45 players in 2020 (two more than the Cardinals used in 162 games last year) and currently have 17 players out with either the virus or undisclosed reasons (probably the virus). They nevertheless showed up 6-1 to Citi Field, won Friday night and pestered the Mets to the final out Saturday and Sunday.

Maybe they will have magic in this shortened, bizarre season. Or perhaps the two straight losses are the beginning of us blinking and when we next stare at the standings the Marlins will be 10-15. After all, Miami already has had nine players make their major league debuts this season and come Friday begin a stretch of 20 games in 19 days without a day off.

Of course, we have no idea who the Mets are either. They are 7-9 and if anything were to happen to deGrom, we might as well start thinking who Steve Cohen, Josh Harris or Alex Rodriguez will be spending their money on this offseason.

But there also is this: as this season has progressed, the Mets’ annually underrated player development group has provided David Peterson to help stabilize the rotation and Andres Gimenez to be an energizer bunny. Gimenez stuffs a lot of good plays into a game like Santa filling sacks with gifts. He ignited all three run-scoring innings for the Mets with his bat and legs, and used hustle and savvy to chase down a ball booted by Pete Alonso in the sixth inning.

“He does a lot on the field that helps your team win,” manager Luis Rojas said.

Also, don’t look now but the Mets bullpen is morphing from depressing to deep. The addition of Jared Hughes, the return of Robert Gsellman and a positive run for Edwin Diaz has enlarged Rojas’ circle of trust. It is needed with Stroman throwing at least one more simulated game, Wacha out and a bullpen game looming Wednesday.

It merely accentuates the importance of deGrom as stabilizer and stud. Which is why after a familiar high-octane, precise first inning, the second inning was so fraught. DeGrom walked the first two batters on eight pitches, just the second time in his career he had issued consecutive four-pitch walks. He went to a full count on the next batter, with Eddy Alvarez lashing an infield single stopped by a J.D. Davis dive to prevent a run.

Either the wildness or the constant check of the hand brought out Rojas, Chicklo and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. DeGrom convinced the trio he could persevere. But the inning cost him 32 pitches. He went down the tunnel afterward “to get my arm moving.” The ball was not coming out of his hand well. He was trying to recapture his best. But never really got there.

Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run homer in the fifth and the normally unflappable deGrom kicked a garbage can in the dugout before retreating to the clubhouse done after five innings and 98 pitches.

“It was frustrating,” deGrom acknowledged.

Frustration is fine. Fractures or sprains or strains must be limited. No season will be more about attrition than this shortest one ever as limited training and a virus attack rosters. Who can stay the healthiest?