New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard, fully aware of the ongoing trade talks surrounding him, shut all of the peripheral noise out on Saturday evening in Miami, putting together a fine outing in the Mets’ 4-2 win over the Marlins.
Coming off of three consecutive outings of allowing three runs or more (5.94 ERA over 16.2 innings; all wins, surprisingly), Syndergaard needed a strong outing versus the NL-worst Fish; and Thor delivered.
The 26-year-old Texas native got into some trouble in the first (Garrett Cooper hit-by-pitch, Neil Walker single) but escaped unscathed, getting Harold Ramirez to ground a high-and-tight, 98 MPH sinker to Amed Rosario at shortstop for the force at second.
Syndergaard’s second inning was a thing of beauty. The fireballer struck out the side, retiring Jorge Alfaro, JT Riddle, and Zac Gallen on just 12 pitches. Mixing up his sinker, slider, changeup, curve, and four-seamer very well, Noah induced four whiffs in the frame. Peak Syndergaard.
Noah racked up two more strikeouts in a perfect third. Miguel Rojas watched a two-strike 98 MPH sinker nick the outside paint to get rung up, and Cooper was frozen by a 100 MPH four-seamer on the black to end the inning. Thor was firing on all cylinders.
Miami tied the game in the fourth, plating two after Walker (single), Ramirez (double), and Alfaro (triple) got to Syndergaard. Ramirez and Alfaro took advantage of two middle-in changeups that caught entirely too much plate.
Syndergaard would find his groove again though, setting down the final 11 Marlins he faced in impressive fashion.
He breezed through the fifth and sixth on just 20 pitches (ten in each; four swinging strikes in total) and finished off his evening with an 18-pitch seventh, getting Curtis Granderson to groundout to Saturday’s offensive star, Robinson Cano (game-winning two-run homer in the eighth) to cap-off his outing.
Overall, Noah’s night was outstanding, regardless of his fourth-inning speed bump. He’s been leaving too many pitches over the plate all season (hence, the inconsistencies and home run troubles), but it appears he’s working through those issues just fine.
Over 105 pitches (69 strikes), Syndergaard induced 20 swinging strikes (21% whiff rate) and, outside of his sinker (50 offerings; ten balls in play), allowed just seven balls in play on his four-seamer (nine pitches) and his wide array of secondary pitches (curve, 12; change, 15; slider, 19).
Syndergaard was, for the most part, well in control on Saturday night. After the game, the right-hander spoke about his evening, as well as the unavoidable rumors swirling around.
“The first half was kind of rough. Couldn’t wait to just put it behind me. I felt like I couldn’t run away from it fast enough,” Syndergaard told the press corps (video via SNY). “It was nice to reset during the All-Star break and really hit the ground running.”
“I try not to pay too much attention to [the trade rumors],” he said (SNY). “As of right now, I love being a Met. If something were to ever change it would be definitely bittersweet. New York City itself, the fan base, and the guys in this clubhouse have a special place in my heart.”
Whether Syndergaard remains a member of the New York Mets through the end of the month remains to be determined. For now, we’ll continue to accept outings like these with open arms.
