Hopefully strain is Noah big

Noah Syndergaard said Thursday his strained right index finger is feeling better but he will rest for a few more days before picking up a baseball and will probably miss one or two starts, though he’s not exactly sure when he will throw next or return to game action.

Before the Mets’ 5-1 loss to the Cubs, Syndergaard said he felt like he could pitch through the issue. “But I think when I voiced what was going on to the training staff, they did a great job of making sure they took all the precautionary measures so something catastrophic didn’t happen.”

Sandy Alderson said he was with Syndergaard when the pitcher was being examined and the options were wide-ranging, one extreme being Syndergaard making his scheduled start earlier this week in Atlanta. But Alderson thought that would be “cavalier.”

Meanwhile, Steven Matz’s middle finger felt well enough Thursday that he played catch, and he’s scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday.

“The doctor said it’s just gonna take moving it around to get some of the fluid out. It’s way better today,” Matz said.

The lefthander hopes to make his next start. “We’re just taking it day by day right now and seeing how everything progresses,” he said. “We’re not gonna say any bold statements, but right now I’m glad where I’m at.”

joey bats a lot

With the Cubs starting three lefties in their