Noah can’t quite mimic former mate’s delivery
PORT ST. LUCIE — Bartolo Colon may have left for Atlanta, but he is not forgotten with the Mets.
That was evident again Wednesday after Noah Syndergaard’s second start of the spring when, despite displaying his 98 mph heater effortlessly, the righthander was still critical of himself.
“I was OK,” Syndergaard said. “Not really pleased with how wild I was.”
The right-hander allowed three hits and walk in 2 ¹/3 innings as he tried to work on his delivery — and become more like Colon.
“I’d watch his bullpen when he was warming up before games last year,” Syndergaard said. “Where he would land, there would essentially be no footmark because he would land so soft. And that’s something I want to get to.’’
Indeed he called the delivery “very Bartolo-esque.”
For now, Syndergaard finds himself falling toward first base instead of his momentum taking him in the direction of home plate.
It’s something he’s been tinkering with since last season and is hoping to perfect in 2017.
“He’s very light on his feet,” Syndergaard said of the hefty Colon.
More importantly, for Syndergaard, he has looked strong without even going full-tilt.
“I haven’t really amped it up to 100 percent yet just because I want to feel everything going on with my mechanics,” Syndergaard said. “Once I start to feel more comfortable, I’ll start ramping it up.”
Manager Terry Collins said he wasn’t surprised by how smoothly Syndergaard’s spring has gone so far.
“This guy gets it,” the manager said. “He may play the Thor game, [but] he gets it. He knows what he’s got to do.”
Matt Harvey is still wearing Kinesio tape as he deals with a stiff neck, but he remains in line to make his scheduled start Friday in Port St. Lucie.
“It’s getting there,” said Harvey, who said the discomfort is located near his trapezius muscle. He was able to throw a bullpen Wednesday.
Yoenis Cespedes returned to action after his hip tightened up in Monday’s game. He went 1for-3 and played left field. Josh Edgin threw a scoreless inning in the Mets’ other split squad game in West Palm Beach, Fla., a 12-2 loss to the Astros.
Robert Gsellman was smacked around for a pair of runs on five hits in two innings in his second start of the spring.
The Mets held a moment of silence before the game for Bill
Webb, who directed Mets games for nearly 40 years and passed away on Tuesday at 65 after battling cancer.
The team also released a statement: “Bill Webb was the heart and soul of Mets telecasts for decades. He was one of the most innovative directors in broadcast history and we were fortunate to have him as part of the Mets family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Cyndi and children, Erin, Matthew and Samantha.”