New York Mets pitcher, Noah Syndergaard provided another quality start in Friday’s 2-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. Syndergaard was not the problem in yesterday’s loss as the offense could not solve a San Diego starter for the second consecutive night.
Syndergaard pitched six innings while allowing two runs on six hits. Thor walked none and struck out just five batters while taking the loss for a season record of 2-2. His ERA on the year stands at 2.58, creeping up just a little bit from 2.51.
“Overall, I thought it was OK,” Syndergaard said. “I like to go out there and have a goal to put up zeroes. Unfortunately, it’s not always like that.” (ESPN)
The Padres tried to continue the course of teams running against Noah, and they were successful in two out of three attempts. Syndergaard was encouraged by pitching coach, Dan Warthen, to speed up his delivery from here on out in order to stop runners from being able to swipe bases so easily.
“I feel like I was pretty good in the windup as far as mechanically,” Syndergaard said. “I’m still trying to get adjusted to being a little quicker toward home plate. I felt like I finally figured it out. … I felt great mechanically. My arm feels really good. It’s all about getting a little bit more comfortable as well as being quicker to home plate.”
Opposing teams have had big success against Syndergaard this year while stealing bases. Teams are now a combined 29 for 32 against him in his career. Manager, Terry Collins, is not worried about it.
“You guys are reading too much into this,” Collins said. “I mean, you’ve got to get on [base]. It doesn’t matter who is on the mound, when Melvin Upton gets on, he’s going. That’s his game. Weeks, that’s his game. What you try to do is keep those guys off the bases.”
Syndergaard could be seen during the game attempting to hold on runners as best he could. A weakness in his game has seemed to have been exploited and the entire league has caught on quick. It will be interesting to see the adjustments that are made to hold runners at bay, as messing with his mechanics is not something you want to do.
