Mets announce Noah Syndergaard will start NL wild card game
The final day of the regular season is on Sunday and the New York Mets will have nothing to play for.
Somehow, someway, that became the most wonderful scenario possible for manager Terry Collins.
After battling day in and day out for a wild-card position and losing several key players to injury along the way, many assumed the Mets fight would continue to the final day. That was, if they were lucky enough to survive all of the injuries and inconsistencies that slowed them.
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They’ve not only survived, With Saturday’s 5-3 win against the Phillies, the Mets spot is now secure. Not only are they in the wild-card game, they’ll be hosting it on Wednesday night. And not only are they in and hosting, they’ll be able to pitch Noah Syndergaard, who will be given three extra days of rest.
Collins made that announcement official following the celebration in the Mets clubhouse. His ace — by way of performance and injuries to Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom — will bring his 14 wins, 2.60 ERA and 10.7 K/9 into the most important game of the season.
Perhaps it’s not a perfect scenario for the Mets. They would have much preferred winning the division again. But it’s definitely a best-case scenario given everything they’ve had to overcome. Now they’ll have an extra day to relax, which is good news for their aches, pains and nagging injuries, but above all it means they won’t have to exhaust Syndergaard — who would have pitched Sunday if needed — or even Bartolo Colon just to get in.
Even better, with the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals battle for the second spot coming down to Sunday, it’s possible they’ll even be facing an opponent that’s worn down.
This isn’t to say they’ll coast, either. Nothing has come easy for the Mets this season. A potential matchup against Madison Bumgarner in daunting too. However, simply avoiding the chaos is a huge plus that could pay dividends come Wednesday.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
