Noah Syndergaard suspiciously avoids facing Mets for second time this year

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard is avoiding the New York Mets once again this season.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard is avoiding the New York Mets for the second time this season.

While with the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the year, Syndergaard was up for his spot in the rotation for a game against New York but ended up having that start pushed back. Now with the Phillies, he was up for his spot in the rotation this weekend for a series against the Mets, but that start has now been pushed back for extra rest.

So why is Syndergaard ducking his former team?

Noah Syndergaard avoids the Mets for the second time in 2022

In reality, this is probably an unfortunate and poor coincidence for Syndergaard. Given his torrid injury history in recent years, rest is a crucial component for him to succeed moving forward.

The veteran pitcher played every season of his career with the Mets until this year, so that’s why there are bad optics that make this look as if he’s avoiding his former team. The truth, as it often is, is probably far less salacious.

Syndergaard, nicknamed “Thor,” is a talented pitcher. This season, he’s produced an ERA of 3.95, batting average against of .261 and a WHIP of 1.27 over time split between the Angels and now the Phillies after he was dealt at the trade deadline.

Despite Thor not taking the mound, Philadelphia could still push the Mets in the upcoming series. The Phillies have the eighth-best team ERA (3.73), 11th-best opponent batting average (.237) and sixth-best WHIP (1.21). New York has a strong rotation in their own right but, nonetheless, it should be a competitive series, with our without Syndergaard involved.