Syndergaard turns it around in big way
ANAHEIM >> Noah Syndergaard followed up one of the worst games of his career with his best performance in years.
Syndergaard gave up one run in eight innings in the Angels' 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, a performance that recalled his days as an ace with the New York Mets before nearly two seasons lost to Tommy John surgery.
Although Syndergaard doesn't currently have the 100 mph fastball he had back then, he had no trouble making a 94 mph fastball work with his changeup, slider and curveball.
Syndergaard did not allow a baserunner until the fifth. He ended up allowing three singles total and a Jonah Heim homer in the eighth inning. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone.
He threw 78.5% of his 93 pitches for strikes, the highest percentage for any outing in which he threw at least 20 pitches.
It was quite a departure from when he faced the Rangers last Monday in Texas. He didn't even make it out of the first inning, the shortest start of his career. He was charged with six runs, four of them earned.
Syndergaard had a little extra time to think about that one because the Angels had two off days between his starts, so he took the mound on seven days' rest on Tuesday.
Before the game, manager Joe Maddon was asked if he had seen anything different from Syndergaard between starts.
“Noah's always the same guy,” Maddon said. “I liked
Angels starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard held the Rangers to one run and four hits in eight innings Tuesday night.
THE SCORE
ANGELS 5, RANGERS 3
Up next: Rangers at Angels, 6:38p.m. today, BSW
that about him a lot. When you talk to him, he's got his way about him. He's stoic. He's well prepared. He's programmed in a sense. I guess you'd call that routine. I don't see anything different, quite frankly.
“Probably internally, he did not like what happened to him last time . ... I think he did not like at all what happened last time out. So there's definitely motivation behind all that, but for him to do or attempt to do a whole lot different is not what he needs to do right now.”
Syndergaard was in control for most of the night, inducing soft contact or striking hitters out. He did need some help from his defense in the fourth, though.
Mitch Garver hit a drive toward the left field fence and Brandon Marsh leaped, snagging the ball with his glove above the fence.
The catch preserved a
scoreless tie, and just moments later the Angels broke the game open with four runs, aided by some sloppy Rangers defense.
Jared Walsh started the inning with a fly ball to right-center field, and both center field Adolis Garcia and right fielder Kole Calhoun gave way, allowing the catchable ball to drop on the warning track for a double.
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager also made a bad throw that got away from first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.
Around all that, the Angels had hits from Matt Duffy, Marsh and Max Stassi and a bunt single from Tyler Wade on a squeeze. Andrew Velazquez drove in the fourth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
Walsh padded the lead to 5-0 with a fifth-inning homer, his ninth of the season. The Rangers scored twice in the ninth and had Heim at the plate as the potential tying run before Raisel Iglesias struck him out for his 11th save.