After allowing three earned runs against the Miami Marlins in 3.1 innings of work on Monday, Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard admitted he was fatigued, he was exhausted, he was out of gas. (Funeral Services for the Mets’ 2017 season to be held on Thursday.)
“The fourth inning, I kind of ran out of gas,” said Syndergaard after the game. “My delivery was all over the place. I got a little fatigued.”
In all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad of a performance by Syndergaard who only allowed three hits and a walk while striking out four. The undisputed ace of the Mets was even firing his fastball at 97-98 mph.
He declined to mention what exactly has been ailing him for the last three weeks, but manager Terry Collins – or Dr. Collins as he’s known around these parts – offered his diagnosis.
“He’s like many people, including myself, that when it gets in their lungs and they get bronchitis, it can affect you for a while,” Collins said. “He’s fighting that. He’s been on medication. He is getting better, but he just ran out of gas.”
“He’s been throwing great,” Collins continued. “Everything is fine, he’s sick, and that comes with the territory. I can guarantee you this summer there is going to be a time he’s not going to be feeling good and he’s going to go out there, so I am not worried about that, not worried about his arm. He’s going to get over it.”
In his previous start, Syndergaard admitted that he has yet to go full throttle when he’s on the mound and wanted to wait until the last couple of spring starts before he really dials it up.
“I don’t think I’ve really amped it up to 100 percent yet, just because I want to be able to feel everything that’s going on in my mechanics,” he said. “Once I start to feel more comfortable, that’s when I start ramping it up.”
That’s a scary thought for the opposition considering Thor has been living in the 98 area code since his first Grapefruit League start.
Collins downplayed the illness yesterday, and said he’s going to continue pitching Syndergaard every five days as scheduled so that he’ll be ready for Opening Day when he’ll face the Atlanta Braves on April 3.
Syndergaard, 23, left no doubt that he’s focused and committed to being ready for that opener – the first of his brief MLB career. I can’t wait…
