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    Braves vs. Mets Monday MLB injury report, odds: Jacob deGrom set for opener of doubleheader, may not swing at plate; Jeff McNeil to be activated

    NL Cy Young and MVP favorite Jacob deGrom returns to the mound Monday but has left his past two starts injured.
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    Mets ace right-hander Jacob deGrom remains the heavy -260 favorite at William Hill Sportsbook to win his third NL Cy Young Award in the past four seasons and is also the +170 favorite to win MVP honors. It sure seems like the only thing that would prevent him from that historic sweep would be injuries. DeGrom has left his past two outings with injuries but is scheduled to pitch Monday at home vs. the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Because it's a doubleheader, there's an unusual start time of 5:10 p.m. ET and is scheduled for seven innings. New York is a heavy favorite.

    DeGrom (6-2, MLB-best 0.54 ERA and 0.51 WHIP) left his start on June 11 vs. San Diego after six shutout innings because of right flexor tendinitis, but an MRI came back clean. He made his normal start in the rotation last Wednesday vs. the Cubs and pitched three hitless shutout innings with eight strikeouts but was pulled with right shoulder soreness.

    Needless to say, that's a worrisome pattern. Another MRI came back negative and deGrom threw his usual bullpen session over the weekend. Both the Mets' medical staff and a third-party doctor agreed that deGrom wasn't risking much by continuing to throw. He has a 25-inning scoreless streak going.  New York has won his past six starts, which is the third-longest such streak since his debut in 2014.

    The 33-year-old thinks he may have hurt the shoulder while hitting vs. Chicago. DeGrom was 1-for-1 with an RBI and is now hitting .423 on the season (tops by any pitcher) with more RBIs (six) than earned runs allowed (four).

    Mets manager Luis Rojas didn't rule out the team asking deGrom not to swing at any pitches in this game. The team did that for Taijuan Walker earlier this year, but deGrom seemed to brush off that suggestion with his competitive nature.

    "You can tell them that," he said of facing opponents and not swinging. "That way, they throw me all fastballs."

    This is deGrom's first look at Atlanta this year. Last year, he was 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two starts vs. the Braves, who are at a disadvantage playing their second doubleheader in 24 hours. Fellow MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr. (+400) is 8-for-25 career off deGrom with seven strikeouts and no homers.

    New York will activate second baseman Jeff McNeil Monday, but it's not clear if it will happen before Game 1 or Game 2; the team may won't want him playing in both games coming off a hamstring injury. McNeil, out since May 16, is hitting .242 with three homers and eight RBIs in 31 games. In five rehab games, McNeil went 6-for-17 with a home run, two RBIs and two doubles.

    It's not clear as of this writing whether it will be Ian Anderson (4-3, 3.58) or big lefty Kyle Muller in Game 1 for Atlanta; they will be the two starters in the doubleheader.  Muller would be making his big-league starting debut. He did pitch one inning of relief vs. Boston last week in his debut and allowed two runs and four hits. 

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    Matt SeveranceSeverance Pays

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