NEW YORK -- Jacob deGrom put New York Mets fans at ease with a bevy of triple-digit heaters.
Hopefully clear of the arm woes that interrupted his past two starts, the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner is back to dominating hitters -- and the record books.
DeGrom shouldered the load for New York in his return from another injury scare, pitching one-hit ball over five scoreless innings as the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 Monday to open a doubleheader.
Braves closer Will Smith loaded the bases in the nightcap's seventh inning but escaped for his 14th save in a 1-0 win. Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his 20th homer, and Ian Anderson became the first native New Yorker to beat the Mets and Yankees in New York in the same season.
DeGrom didn't allow a hit in the seven-inning opener until Mets outfielders misplayed a fly ball with two outs in the fifth, letting it fall for a ground-rule double. DeGrom threw 70 pitches, 15 of them over 100 mph, with two walks and six strikeouts.
"Felt good," deGrom said. "I think that's why we decided at that 70-pitch mark to say that was enough, didn't want to overdo it."
Jeff McNeil came off the injured list and singled as a pinch-hitter for deGrom (7-2) during New York's three-run fifth inning. He scored on Dominic Smith's three-run double.
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer off Seth Lugo in Game 1 for the Braves, who had won three of four but were playing their second doubleheader in two days -- they also split that one, winning the nightcap against St. Louis 1-0 on a homer by Acuña.
Left-hander Kyle Muller (0-1) pitched one-hit ball over four innings in the opener, leaving with a 1-0 deficit in his first big league start.
Mets sparkplug Jonathan Villar left the second game with an apparent lower body injury after leading off the sixth with a double, one of several health-related setbacks for New York.
DeGrom has thrown 30 consecutive scoreless innings, 22/3 shy of R.A. Dickey's franchise record set in 2012. His 0.50 ERA is the lowest by a pitcher through 12 starts in major league history. Opponents are hitting .113 against him, the lowest average against any pitcher in a 12-game span since at least 1901, with a minimum 70 innings.
In the second game, Jerad Eickhoff gave New York four scoreless innings in his first big league appearance since June 16, 2019, with Philadelphia, but Miguel Castro (2-2) allowed Acuna's leadoff shot in the fifth.
Anderson (5-3) pitched 51/3 scoreless innings, striking out five. Raised in Clifton Park, the right-hander became the first native of the state to beat two New York teams in the Big Apple in a season since Philadelphia's Jim Konstanty and Chicago's Turk Lown both defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants in 1953.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, BREWERS 1 Merrill Kelly pitched seven effective innings, Ketel Marte had two hits and the Arizona Diamondbacks snapped a 17-game losing streak by beating the Milwaukee Brewers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
RANGERS 8, ATHLETICS 3 Andy Ibanez and Jose Trevino hit three-run homers, Kyle Gibson pitched into the sixth inning for another solid start and the Texas Rangers ended a six-game losing streak with a win over Oakland.
ASTROS 10, ORIOLES 2 Jake Odorizzi and the Houston bullpen took a bid for a combined no-hitter into the eighth inning in a victory over the Baltimore Orioles that marked the Astros' eighth consecutive victory.
INTERLEAGUE
INDIANS 4, CUBS 0 Bobby Bradley and Josh Naylor homered, helping the Cleveland Indians overcome the loss of Aaron Civale, who exited with two outs in the fifth because of a right middle finger injury. The right-hander leads the major leagues with 10 wins. Bryan Shaw (2-2) got four outs as Cleveland moved within two games of the idle White Sox for the top spot in the AL Central.
