Noah Syndergaard left the Mets' win with elbow soreness
The New York Mets got an injury scare with starting pitcher Bartolo Colon on Tuesday night, and now they must hope staff ace Noah Syndergaard’s elbow soreness Wednesday is nothing more than that.
Syndergaard limited the Royals to three runs in six innings during the Mets’ 4-3 win, but manager Terry Collins revealed after the victory that elbow soreness cut short Syndergaard’s start and that he was seeing the team doctor along with slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who came out because of an aching wrist.
Cespedes had two hits and a walk, including a double off the center-field wall, but was removed in the sixth because of discomfort in his left wrist.
"If you remember last fall he had a similar problem with that left hand. He takes some swings and it comes off the bat," Collins said. "So I don't know what the issue is. I'm certainly concerned about it. Anytime, when you're a hitter and you're a big hitter and your hands and your wrists have problems, it's a concern."
So is the news about Syndergaard, an emerging ace in his second big league season and the hardest-throwing starter in the majors. The 23-year-old had his right elbow examined earlier this year after feeling some tightness, but hasn't missed a turn in the rotation.
"His elbow flared up on him. That's why I took him out of the game," a terse Collins said, nudged by Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz to disclose that information at the conclusion of his postgame news conference.
An MRI showed no structural damage and he received anti-inflammatory medication and was cleared to resume normal activities, Horwitz later said.
Syndergaard pitched on six days' rest, pushed back a day after throwing 115 pitches — one short of his most in the majors — over a career-high 8 1/3 innings during his previous outing.
Syndergaard is 8-2 with a 2.08 ERA this season and, along with Colon and Matt Harvey, leads the Mets with 14 starts. He helped New York to the World Series last season by going 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA as a rookie.
The Mets are 10-13 in their past 23 games since starting the season 28-19, but New York has won Syndergaard’s past four starts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
