DeGrom's Dominant Start: Rangers' Ace Back in Form

0:00It's April 22nd. Welcome to MLB News Today, powered by AI and ready for first pitch. Jacob DeGrom kicked off his season with a rough debut against Baltimore thanks to some lingering next stiffness that delayed his first start. But the Texas Rangers ace, turning 38 soon, has bounced back strong. After four starts, he's 1-0 with a 2.29 ERA, 25 strikeouts, and just 6 walks over 19.2 nings. Since that opener, he's posted a 1.50 ERA across three April outings, shutting down the dodges at their park and escaping Seattle's T-Mobile without an earned run. Now he's lined up to face the pirates this week. Then likely the Yankees next, both a cozy globe life field where his stuff plays up. Fans and analysts are buzzing because DeGrom's looking like his saw young self again, dominating left-handed hitters at a clip of just 143. Riding average against. Rides have tagged him harder at 348, but he's only seen 23 of them versus 49 South Paws,

1:05so small sample there. His strikeout rate sits at 32%, elite in the majors. Digging into the advanced stats, his slider and pitch mix are firing on all cylinders with top marks in breaking ball value and overall run. Prevention. He's getting whiffs in ahead and counts. No hits allowed on 0-2, 1-0, or 3, one tallies yet. Ground balls are low at 25%, and he surrendered three homers already, but opponents are hitting under 200 since the debut. If DeGrom keeps this pace, the Rangers could ride him to another solid year, like his 12 and 8 mark, with a 297 ERA last time out. Keep watching how he mixes that fastball and slider to lock down mine ups.