Noah Syndergaard wasn’t happy Thursday, and the schedule again was the culprit.
Following a 5-1 trip to start the season, the Mets got back to New York after 2 a.m. Thursday in the wake of a 6-4 victory at Miami the previous night. They were even held up about 30-45 minutes postgame in Miami while Dominic Smith chugged enough water to be able to complete a drug test.
But around 11 hours after arriving in Queens in the middle of the night, they were back on the field again — and their lineup looked sleepy while striking out 14 times in a 4-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. “I don’t think we were in the proper situation to win a ballgame based on the rest of the guys’ sleep and travel,” said Syndergaard, who flew to New York ahead of his teammates. He would have preferred a day game Wednesday in Miami or a night game Thursday at home. “That would have been nice,” Syndergaard said.
The Mets managed only four hits against Washington, whose starter, Stephen Strasburg (1-0), struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings.
Syndergaard (0-1) gave up only one hit in six innings, but it was costly — Victor Robles‘ leadoff homer in the sixth gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead.
The schedule had been a point of contention for Syndergaard already this season. He had questioned the Mets’ travel itinerary before Opening Day with no plans to stop in New York before their season opener in Washington. The team traveled by bus for nearly three hours to Sarasota, Florida, then flew to Syracuse, New York for a workout before later heading to Washington.
“I don’t know whose idea that was, but it’s not a smart one,” he said at the time. “I don’t think that’s conducive for winning ballgames, really — that much travel. I mean, I’m sure the amenities in Syracuse aren’t the best for a Major League Baseball team to go up there and have one last workout before the regular season starts, but those kinds of decisions are above my paygrade.”