Syndergaard strikes out seven straight against Nationals
Noah Syndergaard does not appear to be far off his 2016 All-Star form as he struck out seven straight Washington Nationals batters in an 8-5 Grapefruit League win for the New York Mets on Thursday.
As impressive as the scoreless outing was over 3.1 innings, he was the first to say he was not at his best.
"I wouldn't say I'm in mid-season form yet," Syndergaard told reporters after the game.
"But it's nice to go out there and have some command issues, and be able to bounce back and finish up strong."
His catcher echoed that statement.
"I honestly don't think he had his best stuff today," Kevin Plawecki told reporters. "But he made the most of what he had."
The 25-year-old is coming off a season in which he made just seven starts and pitched 30.1 innings due to a torn lat suffered in April. He is working his way back slowly and has shown very good things this spring.
Syndergaard has now made three starts in spring training, striking out 13 batters in 8.1 innings.