Coming off a very rough start on June 27th in which the Washington Nationals handled him easily, Noah Syndergaard got back on track in the Mets’ 14-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Syndergaard brought his arsenal on Sunday, throwing seven masterful innings. He allowed just one run on seven hits while walking none and striking out eight Cubbies. He picked up the win, improving his record to 9-3 on the season while his ERA dropped to 2.41 .
“I just felt really calm out there and wasn’t trying to do too much,” Syndergaard said. “The start against the Nationals, I felt really, really strong, and I just kept trying to throw the ball harder and harder as opposed to going out there and pitching.” (NY Post)
After a rough first inning, Syndergaard went into cruise control. The combination of his fastball and slider was just too much for the Cubs to overcome. For the second consecutive start he was staked to a huge lead, this time though he did not let it get away from him.
“I just try to go out there and pound the strike zone,” Syndergaard said of pitching with a big lead. “It was really fun to see our offense come alive. It makes my job a lot easier. The last thing you want to do when you have a big lead like that is to just start walking guys. I went about my game and pounded the zone.”
Syndergaard pounded the strike zone time and time again, as this was the seventh game this season where he did not walk a batter. The only pitcher who has more starts with no walks allowed is Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw. Not bad company to be in. His next start will come against the Nationals yet again, as the god of thunder will seek revenge against first-place Washington.
