A Loss of Interest

Last night, unlike on Monday, I took a nap before the Mets game started at the brisk hour of 10pm. I probably did myself a disservice by doing so, because the results I ended up watching were nowhere near as pleasant as the game I slept through on Monday night. Though Noah Syndergaard certainly showed off his stuff, racking up 10 strikeouts, he was also hit early and often by the Padres lineup to the tune of 10 hits and 7 runs in 4 innings, by far and away the worst start of his brief career.

Syndergaard's start was more or less a mirror image of Andrew Cashner on Monday. After the Mets got an early run, Syndergaard zipped through the 1st inning with little trouble. But that was as easy as it got. The Padres, behind such luminaries as Alexi Amarista and Cory Spangenberg, kept getting singles and more singles, and then some more singles and before Syndergaard had any idea what had hit him, the Padres had charged ahead 4-1. These weren't especially hard-hit balls, but they seemed to bounce the way of the Padres. Later, Derek Norris and his mutant beard hit one that didn't need any kind of luck to find its way into the seats.

And, after that, I pretty much lost interest, which should come as a surprise to nobody. The Mets could find no particular solution to Ian Kennedy (ex-Yankee Prospect La La La) and ultimately lost a forgettable affair 7-2.

These kind of games happen, and in a way it's perhaps a positive thing for Syndergaard. Yes, I know every Mets fan would rather see Syndergaard go out there, strike out 15 guys and throw a shutout every time out. But that happens to no pitcher, no matter how good they are. In some perverse way, it's good to see him have a rough outing just to see how he handles some adversity on this level. Sure, he was seen screaming obscenities into his glove and generally looking annoyed and out of sorts as he slogged his way through his 4 innings, but at least he wasn't kicking the dirt like Shaun Marcum did, or going through some weird tic-fest like Mike Pelfrey did. He just kept throwing his pitches. The results weren't going his way, but he didn't fold, so if nothing else, you try to look for the little victories in lost games such as this.

At least as long as you can stay awake.