NEW YORK — It was not the kind of start right-hander Noah Syndergaard envisioned for his return to New York on Tuesday.
Syndergaard, who pitched for the Mets from 2015-21, was hit hard by the Yankees and lasted just 2 1/3 innings in a 9-1 loss in the series opener at Yankee Stadium. Syndergaard gave up five runs on seven hits and one walk to see his ERA rise by nearly a run from 3.08 to 4.02. And it marked the sixth straight defeat for the Angels, who have dropped 10 of 13.
“It’s obvious the team has been in a little bit of a skid right now, so it would’ve been nice to come out and turn that around,” Syndergaard said. “But I dropped the ball and didn’t get the job done. You have to have a short memory and focus on the next one.”
The right-hander wasn’t fooling anyone, as he didn’t record any strikeouts and registered just one swing and miss among his 45 pitches. He’s still working to recover his velocity from before his Tommy John surgery in March 2020, as his fastball averaged 93.8 mph but was routinely in the high-90s with the Mets pre-surgery.
Syndergaard, who signed a one-year deal worth $21 million last offseason, has mostly pitched well this season outside of his start against the Yankees and a rough outing against the Rangers on May 16. But he has had trouble getting whiffs and has struck out just 27 batters in 40 1/3 innings.
“You have to be patient,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “His last start he was eight [innings] and 93 pitches, and he looked…