CHICAGO — Noah Syndergaard’s arm was just fine Tuesday night, but his usual crispness was missing.
Even so, the Mets ace was satisfied with the manner in which he scrapped over 5 ²/₃ innings against the Cubs, allowing one unearned run. Syndergaard received a no-decision in the Mets’ 2-1 victory at Wrigley Field.
“Games like that where you don’t necessarily have your best command, they are fun to compete in, because it really shows your true colors and your competitiveness,” Syndergaard said. “That’s a hell of a team right there, and to win this game was really crucial.”
Syndergaard was yanked after 79 pitches in his previous start, against the Nationals on July 8, because of arm fatigue. But the extended rest afforded by the All-Star break seems to have benefited him.
“I actually felt better as the game went on,” Syndergaard said. “I felt more aware of my mechanics as the game went on. I didn’t necessarily have my best slider today.”
Now he will work toward becoming more efficient. He threw 105 pitches and was removed with a runner on second base in the sixth.
“A lot of pitches,” catcher Rene Rivera said. “But when you have a team like the Cubs, you’re going to have a lot of pitches, so he did a great job of keeping us in the ballgame and giving us a great opportunity to win.”
Manager Terry Collins admired Syndergaard’s bulldog mentality on a night he wasn’t sharp.
“He had to work, and I like it,” Collins said. “I like to see a guy like that work that hard to get us to where he got us. He didn’t throw his arms up and say, ‘Whoa, not tonight.’ He really worked hard and I thought it was really a good outing. Not his best outing, but a good outing for him.”
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