Mets' Noah Syndergaard after playing catch with Matt Harvey: ‘It felt great’
Mets pitchers Noah Syndergaard, left, and Matt Harvey walk in from the bullpen on Monday, July 17, 2017. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Noah Syndergaard said he feels as if he could start tomorrow, but added that he knows that wouldn’t be a good idea.
Syndergaard, who has been on the disabled list with a torn right lat since May 1, played catch Monday with another injured Mets starter, Matt Harvey, for the first time since being sidelined.
“The first couple throws felt kind of weird, felt like a PingPong ball in my hands, but it felt great,” Syndergaard said. “It’s still the first day. I’m just going to take it day by day.”
Syndergaard, who was 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA in his first five starts of the season, said there is no timeline for a return.
Syndergaard and Harvey weren’t the only Mets on the mend to take their first step toward a return. Second baseman Neil Walker, who hasn’t played since partially tearing his left hamstring June 14, began running the bases. “It was a good day,” Walker said. “With the hamstring, it’s all day to day. Assuming I come in tomorrow and feel great, we’ll move in the right direction. Hopefully, all things move well these next several days and I’ll be back playing soon.” Walker said of when or where he’ll rehab: “We haven’t gotten that far. The next couple days will be a telltale sign of how the next week goes.”
Duda ties Hundley
Lucas Duda crushed a 2-and-1 pitch from Adam Wainwright near the Shea Bridge in rightfield in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the Mets’ deficit to 6-2. It was his 16th homer of the season and 124th of his eight-year career, tying him with former Met Todd Hundley for seventh on the franchise list. Duda has 70 home runs at Citi Field, the most in the ballpark’s nine-year history.
Sunday night baseball
ESPN selected the Dodgers-Mets game Aug. 6 for prime time. Originally scheduled for 1:10 p.m., it will begin at 8:08.
