PHILADELPHIA — Noah Syndergaard could use an antibiotic for mediocre pitching.
In his season that has been shortened by two disabled list stints, Syndergaard is still looking for the kind of groove that will return him to elite status. But four starts removed from hand, foot and mouth disease, the Mets’ right-hander appears somewhat lost.
Friday night the Phillies jumped on him early, and kept running — with five stolen bases against the tandem of Syndergaard and catcher Kevin Plawecki — in the Mets’ 4-2 loss at Citizens Bank Park.
Syndergaard allowed four earned runs on eight hits and two walks over 5²/₃ innings, and has posted a 4.85 ERA in those four starts since returning from the DL.
“Each start I would like to go out there and get better at something, whether it’s controlling the running game or fine-tuning my mechanics,” Syndergaard said. “Today it was more of a step in the wrong direction.”
The best thing that could be said is Syndergaard has kept the ball in the park, allowing only one homer in four games.
But for the season, opposing base runners have been successful stealing bases 25 times in 27 attempts with Syndergaard on the mound. At least on Friday, the Phillies’ 5-for-5 night stealing against Syndergaard did not translate into runs.
“I was working on it prior to getting hurt,” said Syndergaard, who missed seven weeks beginning in late May with a strained ligament in his right index finger. “It is definitely an Achilles’ heel of mine, something that’s been disappointing the last three years, embarrassing tonight. That is something I am going to continue to work on.”
Aaron Nola, a serious candidate in the NL Cy Young award race with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, allowed one earned run on three hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts over seven innings.
Jeff McNeil and Austin Jackson put together consecutive singles against Nola in the fourth, allowing the Mets to pull within 3-1 on Todd Frazier’s sacrifice fly. The Mets didn’t score again until the eighth, on Jackson’s RBI single.
Syndergaard was tagged for three runs in the first inning to fall into a hole from which he never recovered.
Asdrubal Cabrera smacked an RBI double for the first run, after Cesar Hernandez singled leading off the game and Rhys Hoskins walked. Nick Williams delivered an RBI single that gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead before Carlos Santana hit into a double play and brought in the third run.
“I think they were swinging early in the count at the plate and obviously when they got on they were trying to expose [Syndergaard’s] times to home,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “The bottom line is he needs to get better and I think he will.”