3 Up
1. Noah Syndergaard Was Filthy
Yesterday’s 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals was supposed to be Jacob deGrom’s game to start. However, with his wife expecting to head into labor any day now, Noah Syndergaard was given the ball, and boy did he impress. Syndergaard was masterful. He finished the day going six innings while allowing just three hits and striking out nine Royals. The biggest strikeout came against 2015 Silver Slugger winner Kendrys Morales in the bottom of the 6th inning with the bases loaded. Syndergaard made quick work of Morales, striking him out on three pitches, one being a 95 mph slider. Syndergaard generated 16 swing and misses yesterday, which happened just twice to the Royals all of last year. Nearly 70% of his fastballs were 98 MPH+ yesterday, 19 of them touched 100. He was nothing short of spectacular. Even Royals manager Ned Yost was in awe of the kind of stuff Syndergaard had. “No man alive could have hit those three sliders Syndergaard threw to Morales,” Yost said.
2. Neil Walker Silenced the Naysayers
David Wright and the Mets awarded second baseman Neil Walker the belt after yesterday’s victory over the Royals, and for good reason. It was his two-run homerun that provided the Mets and Noah Syndergaard all they would need to secure the win. It came just a day after ex-Met Daniel Murphy hit a homerun and a game-winning double in the 10th inning of his Nationals debut. Prior to the start of yesterday’s game, there were plenty of “told you so’s” going around. Walker silenced those very quickly, as he rocketed a hanging sinker from Chris Young over the right field fence. He also was very solid defensively, turning several double plays, and staying in front of a hard hit, tough hop grounder from Eric Hosmer in the bottom of the 9th inning.
3. Jim Henderson Could Be a Steal
What a debut for RHP Jim Henderson. The last thing anybody wanted to see was a perfectly good start go to waste for Noah Syndergaard. In the 7th inning of yesterday’s game it was Henderson who was given the ball to try and preserve a two run lead. Henderson was nothing short of spectacular, as it took him just 13 pitches to retire the Royals in order. 11 of those 13 pitches were for strikes, and produced a total of five swings and misses. Henderson once recorded 28 saves for the Brewers in 2013, but a second shoulder surgery sidelined him for the majority of the 2014 campaign. He never got out of Triple-A last season. After having a solid spring with the Mets, they placed him on the opening day roster. He did not disappoint.
3 Down
1. Cespedes Off to a Slow Start
It didn’t take long for Yoenis Cespedes to have his first outfield flop of the 2016 campaign. In the first inning of Sunday night’s game, Cespedes dropped a rather routine fly ball off the bat of Mike Moustakas. He also struck out with the tying run 90 feet away in the top of the 9th inning, allowing the Royals to preserve their 4-3 win. Yesterday he had an opportunity to put the game away with the bases loaded in a 2-0 game, but once again was unable to come through. He finished the series going 1-9 with three strike outs.
2. Errors Proved to Be Costly
On Sunday night especially, the Royals showed you why solid defense can you bring you a World Series ring. Once again it was the team in blue and white that made all the right plays defensively, and it was the team in blue and orange who had a few costly gaffes. David Wright was unable to make a play he used to make routinely, a hard hit groundball that he was unable to fire over to first in time to get the speedy baserunner. None however proved to be more costly than Yoenis Cespedes’s dropped fly ball in the first inning that eventually resulted in a run for the Royals. Ultimately helping them secure a 4-3 victory Sunday night.
3. Too Many Runners Left on Base
In the two games against the Royals, the Mets left a total of 18 runners on base, and were 1-17 with RISP. Luckily, they were still able to salvage the split with the World Champions, but they may not get that lucky against other quality teams. Big bopper Yoenis Cespedes left four of those runners on base throughout the series. It’s early, and the hits will come, but the Mets need to find a way to become a constantly good hitting team with runners on base.
