Noah Syndergaard leaves game with injury

Ace right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard left his start today with an injury in the second inning. The Mets announced that the injury is a “possible lat strain” and that he’ll head back to New York for an MRI. While the extent of the injury is not clear, it could not have come at a worse time for a Mets team that was just starting to gain some momentum.

It was already a rough week for Syndergaard, who refused an MRI after complaining of arm stiffness and admitting he had trouble lifting his arm above his head. Today’s game was not going particularly well, either. Although Syndergaard’s velocity was as high as ever, he had trouble locating his pitches and it showed. The Nationals tagged him for five runs in the first inning as he gave up five hits and issued one unintentional walk, his first of the season.

Syndergaard was pulled in the middle of an at-bat against Bryce Harper after retiring Jayson Werth on a line out to start the second inning. He was visibly uncomfortable after his third pitch of the at-bat, a 97.9 MPH fastball. He then threw one more pitch, a 90.6 MPH changeup, and left the game grabbing the area under and below his right arm.