Noah Syndergaard struck out nine batters in 5 2/3 innings to outduel Cubs ace Jake Arrieta as the Mets beat the Cubs, 4-1, in Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday.
“This guy is going to be an outstanding, outstanding pitcher for a long time,” manager Terry Collins said. “He’s big, he’s strong, hopefully we keep him healthy, and he has no fear. He’s not intimidated by anything.”
Syndergaard retired 16 of the first 18 batters he faced in the game before running into trouble in the sixth inning.
He allowed a single to Dexter Fowler and threw a wild pitch that moved Fowler to second base. Two batters later, Kris Bryant knocked Syndergaard out of the game with an RBI double. However, Jon Niese struck out Anthony Rizzo to end the inning.
“I felt pretty good out there,” Syndergaard said. “I wish I could have gotten ahead of hitters a little bit better, but it makes pitching a lot more easy when you go out there and offense puts a three spot on one of the best pitchers in the game right now.”
The Mets starting rotation has a 2.96 ERA in their last four games, during which they’ve opposed Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester and Arrieta.
“We’ve pretty much haven’t hid the fact that we think we have pretty good pitching,” Collins said. “They’re young, they’re inexperienced, they don’t have the credentials that Kershaw and Greinke and Lester and Arrieta have, but we think we can stack up with anybody.”
Matthew Cerrone
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Kershaw is awesome, so is Greinke, and so are Arrieta and Lester. However, those four are on two different teams. And, that’s the thing about the Mets, they can throw an awesome, hard-throwing starting pitcher every night in these series. And, next year, they’ll eventually replace Niese in the rotation with Zach Wheeler, when he returns from Tommy John surgery in mid-summer. It’s pretty unique, remarkable and really, really helpful. It’s going to mean these guys never having a major losing streak and always being able to compete in a five- or seven-game series. It’s a treat to get to see these guys in action, it really is…
In regards to Syndergaard, it looks like he’s hypnotized out there. His eyes are intense, he never blinks, he throws a pitch, gets right back on the mound, stands tall and fired another… and another… and another. He’s like a machine. Last night, his two-seam fastball was ridiculous, especially against left-handed hitters as it slipped right by them on the inside corner for a strike. And, he was using his slider well against righties. I think what impresses me most about him, and all of the team’s young starting pitchers, is they’re not just throwers; they know how to “pitch.” They use their brains, sequencing opposing batters, setting them up and executing when needed. And, they’re only going to get better. At this point, the only thing holding back Syndergaard from being an elite pitcher will be the stability of his elbow, which will always be an issue because of his intense velocity…
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from Metsblog http://ift.tt/1W0BwRn
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