NOAH CHANCE, NATS
Syndergaard holds rivals hitless into 6th as Mets roll
WASHINGTON — Noah Syndergaard put on a show in the nation’s capital. With his long blond hair whipping around in a sharp wind, the right-hander carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the Mets 6-2 win against the Nationals on Tuesday night at Nationals Park.
Syndergaard cruised through Washington’s lineup for the majority of his start — laboring only the third time through the order.
“Pitching is a lot more fun when you just go out there and you don’t think,” Syndergaard said. “I thought I did a really decent job today about what I was doing mechanically on the mound. I just had my cues and tried to deliver quality pitches.”
The Mets (20-20) reached .500 for the first time since they were 16-16 on May 3.
After hitting a batter to start the game and issuing a leadoff walk in the second, Syndergaard retired the next 12 hitters he faced. When Syndergaard was at his best, the 26-year-old hurled just six pitches to retire the heart of the Nationals’ order in the fourth inning.
In his ninth start of the year, Syndergaard struck out six batters and allowed just two earned runs on four hits. He went eight dominant innings and walked just the one batter. With righthanded spot starter Wilmer Font scheduled to pitch the second game of the series, Syndergaard’s lengthy outing provided further rest for the Mets bullpen.
Wilmer Difo broke up Syndergaard’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning on a leadoff single to right field. Syndergaard immediately gave up another single to Adrian Sanchez before inducing a double play.
National League Rookie of the Year candidate Victor Robles parked a two-run homer off the only slider Syndergaard tossed, trimming the Nationals’ deficit to 5-2 in the sixth. But the right-handed ace paid no mind and found his footing to end his night on 102 pitches. Tuesday was Syndergaard’s 15th start against them, his most against any opponent.
“I have a tendency to think too much about what my body is doing, as opposed to being free and easy and letting it rip,” Syndergaard said on not paying attention to his no-hit bid. “I feel like I was kind of in one of those backed myself into a corner situations. The only way I could get out was to relax and have fun.”
Thanks to his battery partner, Syndergaard had four runs of support before he stepped on the mound. Wilson Ramos dug into the box with the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, and connected on a grand slam to the left-field seats for just his second home run of the year. Ramos took his time trotting around the bases before greeting his teammates with high fives at home plate.
“It made me feel very happy because I try to do my best,” Ramos said on his grand slam. “I’ve been working really hard and hitting in the cage. I tried to get my timing back. Today I got good at-bats and that made me feel more confident.”
The Mets ultimately tagged Nats starter Jeremy Hellickson for five runs in five innings.
Ramos entered Tuesday hitting .161 (10-for-62) with a .406 OPS over his last 18 games. The 31-year-old played seven seasons for the Nationals from 2010-16. Ramos remains the franchise’s all-time leader among catchers in homers (83), RBI (320) and runs scored (222).
Pinch-hitting, Dominic Smith added an insurance run with his first home run of the year in the ninth.