New York Mets News: Steven Matz To Start In Place Of Noah Syndergaard

By Kenneth Teape | Sep 2, 2015

New York Mets News: The Mets have decided to skip the next start of Noah Syndergaard, instead opting to insert Steven Matz back into the rotation, as he returns from his DL stint.

The New York Mets have made it very clear that they want to monitor the innings of their young arms to make sure they are fresh for the playoff push and postseason run if they make it. We have already seen them skip a Matt Harvey start, something he was not happy about but looked to benefit from as he fired a gem with the extra rest. Now, it is another youngster’s turn to have their start skipped, this time being Noah Syndergaard.

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Syndergaard will have his next scheduled start, which was supposed to be Saturday on the road against the Miami Marlins, skipped to limit his innings total. Syndergaard has already exceeded his innings count from last season by 15, as he has thrown 152 innings including his time in the minors. The Mets are hoping this will help keep him fresh in September, as this will be the most Syndergaard has pitched in his professional career, and longest as well as the minor league season ends before the major league one does.

It also makes sense to limit the amount of starts that Syndergaard makes on the road. His performance at and away from Citi Field have been night and day in his rookie year. At Citi Field, Syndergaard is as dominant as advertised with a 7-1 record and ERA or 2.17 in 71 innings. He has also racked up 68 strikeouts against only nine walks as he really limits the base runners. The Mets have gone 9-1 in his 10 starts at home.

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But, on the road, he has performed below replacement level. The Mets have gone only 2-8 in his road starts, as he has a personal record of 1-5. He has an unsightly ERA of 4.91, allowing opponents to hit .286 against him and walking a ton of batters. In only 51 ⅓ innings, he has walked 20 batters; more than double the amount he has at home despite throwing about 20 less innings.

Syndergaard has also been hurt by the long ball recently. He has given up a home run in six consecutive games, half of which he has given up multiple homers in, for a total of nine. That is something he has to keep in check as a home run can quickly turn the tide in a game, especially when they get as high pressure as they do in a pennant race and playoff game.

The Mets are hoping the skipped start can help Syndergaard catch his breath a little bit and get back on track. In his place, they will be inserting fellow rookie Steven Matz. Matz, who was putting on a show both on the mound and at the plate when he debuted in late June, will be making his return from the DL. He was sidelined since July 5th with a lat injury, as Saturday’s start will be his first appearance back with the major league club.

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Matz made four rehab appearances in the minor leagues, including two with Double-A Binghamton. At Binghamton, Matz was strong, throwing 11 ⅓ scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, allowing only two hits and two walks. “I felt really good, was able to trust my pitches and get my sharpness back a little bit. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at right now,” said Matz.

In his first two career starts before landing on the DL, Matz was electric. He defeated the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers, throwing 13 ⅔ innings and allowing only two runs on seven hits and five walks to go with 14 strikeouts.

The Mets will be excited to get him back into the rotation, and will be making some changes accordingly. With Matz back in the fold, the Mets will be changing over to a six-man rotation. They are hoping that change will help keep the innings of Harvey and Syndergaard in check, as Harvey is close to the soft limit that was placed on him before the season and Syndergaard already has a new career high.

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