Thor dials it down in even more stellar 2nd outing

JUPITER, Fla. — Noah Syndergaard walked the Marlins’ Broxton Lee on four pitches to begin the bottom of the first Saturday and Lee eventually scored on a Justin Bour line single that Syndergaard fortunately got a glove on to prevent potential bodily damage.

Yet from this inaccurate and nearly injurious opening, Syndergaard assembled a second spring start more impressive than his fiery first when he threw half of his 22 pitches at least 100 mph.

Syndergaard gave up that one run in what ended up a 1-0 Mets loss to the Marlins, but Broxton had the lone walk and Bour the lone hit during three innings in which the righty used the breadth of his stuff to show that he is not just a fastball machine. In fact, Syndergaard said his happiest moment came on his final pitch, when he froze J.T. Realmuto with a curve, leaving him to believe that was the first time he had ever gotten a called strike three with that offering.

“He had a great slider, a great changeup and he had a nice, under control delivery,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “I saw the same guy as the other day, maybe a mph lower. It looks like he is playing catch and you look up [at the scoreboard] and it is still 97-98 [mph]. He was very under control trying to get the ball to where he wanted to.”

Syndergaard described “using his brain more than just throwing” in this outing. But this is about his body as well. Off of last season’s lat injury and questionable decision to bulk up, Syndergaard decided to train differently in the offseason, to accentuate not just strength, but flexibility and athleticism.

His trainers for the endeavor, Eric Cressey and Shane Rye, watched their pupil at Roger Dean Stadium and Cressey said: “We put it on paper and Noah did it. This is not a guy afraid to work.”

Cressey said the main benefits of the training are about the marathon, about providing a path for Syndergaard to make 30 starts and challenge 200 innings.

But Syndergaard acknowledged, “I feel it now. My body has never been more fluid, under control and athletic.”

Yoenis Cespedes played left for the first time Friday and afterward said he was not yet 100 percent with what the team is calling a sore shoulder.

Juan Lagares, who also saw his first action Friday following what was called a strained left hamstring, started in center Saturday. Callaway praised not only Lagares’ movements, but also his at-bats.

The manager said the plan is for Lagares to have Sunday off against the Nationals, but to be a regular presence in the lineup the rest of the spring.