After three dominating performances, Noah Syndergaard struggled through a short outing in the Mets’ 6-3 victory over Cincinnati Wednesday afternoon.
Syndergaard went just five innings on what was a sweltering day in Ohio. He allowed no runs while giving up six hits, walking four and striking out seven. Thor struggled with his command at times, the four walks were a season-high. He attributed the heat as reasoning for his struggles.
“I would be lying if I said the heat didn’t get to me a bit,” Syndergaard said. “And the early start time wasn’t the best, but you’ve just got to go out there and pitch your game.” (NY Post)
Non-dominating performance aside, he was still able to pick up the win, improving his record to 13-8 on the season. His ERA lowered to 2.48 while his WHIP stands at 1.14. He found himself with baserunners on frequently but was able to wiggle his way out of trouble each time, keeping the Reds off the board. Manager, Terry Collins knew it was a rough day for his star pitcher.
“The command was not there today of pretty much any of his pitches, but as I told him when I took him out, and I knew he was out of gas: ‘You’ve got to work some nights, but that is how you get better here.’”
“The nights you don’t have your good stuff you can look back and say, ‘I know how to get through this.’ But he got us five and we’re glad we got him”
A small blip for a pitcher who had been absolutely dominant as of late. Syndergaard is the lone ranger currently left from the young staple of stud pitchers the Mets hoped would carry them back to the postseason in 2016. He has done a fine job to separate himself from the others, slowly becoming the anchor of the staff.
