Mets at Rays
The rapid development of rookie Noah Syndergaard is a prime reason why the New York Mets are being touted as having the best pitching staff in baseball. Syndergaard looks to win his third straight start and the visiting New York Mets go for their eighth consecutive victory Saturday in the second of a three-game series versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
Although he is coming off a pair of dominating victories, Syndergaard is seeking his first win away from home - he's 0-4 with a 4.34 ERA in seven road starts. Rookie outfielder Michael Conforto, a candidate to return to the minors when Michael Cuddyer comes off the disabled list, doubled home the tying run in the ninth before scoring on Wilmer Flores' single in New York's 4-3 victory. The Rays absorbed their second straight one-run defeat, wasting solo homers by Grady Sizemore, James Loney and Evan Longoria. Tampa Bay dropped to 27-31 at Tropicana Field this season after its fourth loss in a row against the Mets.
TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (6-5, 2.66 ERA) vs. Rays RH Nathan Karns (6-5, 3.37)
In winning his last two starts, Syndergaard joined Dwight Gooden and Pedro Martinez as the only Met pitchers with consecutive outings of at least eight innings pitched with nine strikeouts and zero walks. He allowed a pair of solo homers to beat Washington last time out and blanked San Diego on three hits in his previous turn. Despite the winless mark away from home, he has permitted four runs combined in his last three road starts.
Karns gave up two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision at the Chicago White Sox - the eighth time in nine starts he has yielded two runs or fewer. He won his previous two turns. limiting Detroit to one run and third hits over six innings and blanking Philadelphia on three hits over five innings. The 27-year-old Karns, who has gone beyond six innings once in his last 14 starts is 3-4 with a 3.52 ERA at Tropicana Field.
WALK-OFFS
1. Syndergaard is the first pitcher in franchise history to not walk a batter in six of his first 15 starts.
2. Longoria extended his hitting streak to seven games.
3. Mets 3B Juan Uribe has homered in back-to-back games and has gone deep three times in the last seven contests.