Mets struggle offensively, lose in Noah Syndergaard’s debut

Noah Syndergaard was impressive in his big league debut but the offense continued to struggle as the Mets lost, 6-1, to the Cubs on Tuesday night in Chicago.

Game Recap:

Noah Syndergaard was incredibly sharp in the first inning and strong overall through the first five innings, mixing all of his pitches well while working with a fastball that touched 99 MPH.

However, it was Syndergaard’s curve that kept the Cubs off balance on Tuesday, with Chicago flailing at a handful of Syndergaard’s “hooks from hell.”

As was the case in his last three starts for Triple-A Las Vegas, Syndergaard threw any pitch in any count and worked quickly, but a gaffe by Daniel Murphy in the third inning (Murphy took his time on a would-be inning-ending grounder) led to 18 additional pitches.

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Syndergaard impressively worked out of jams in the third (caused by Murphy) and the fifth, but he appeared to lose gas in the sixth, missing his location and allowing three runs as the Cubs took a 3-0 lead.

The Mets’ bullpen struggled, as Alex Torres, Sean Gilmartin, and Hansel Robles each allowed a run.

The Mets, who had just one hit entering the eighth inning, scored their only run on Kevin Plawecki‘s sacrifice fly in the eighth

Highlights:

• Noah Syndergaard was strong, allowing three runs on six hits, walking four (one intentional) and striking out six in 5.1 innings of work.

• Curtis Granderson ran the Mets out of an inning in the fourth, attempting to go to third base on a single by Daniel Murphy but getting thrown out.

• Michael Cuddyer continued to struggle at the plate, going 0-for-4 as his average dropped to .241.

Thoughts:

Syndergaard’s solid debut was the main story, but the main issue is the current state of the Mets’ offense.

Without David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud, the Mets have struggled badly in May, averaging less than three runs per game. Add to that the fact that Juan Lagares was out on Tuesday with a minor injury and Dilson Herrera was on the bench, and you got a game that was pretty much unwatchable while the Mets were at bat.

The Mets badly need both Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer to step it up.

Next up:

The Mets continue their four-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night at 8:05 p.m.

Matt Harvey gets the start for the Mets, opposed by Jason Hammel for Chicago.