Orioles Look For First Win Over Mets Since 2009
(AP) -- Noah Syndergaard has impressed this season, but the Mets rookie is still searching for a first well into the month of August.
New York's young right-hander has yet to win a road start this season, something he'd love to rectify Wednesday night as the Mets try for a 10th straight win over the Baltimore Orioles.
New York (64-55) snapped a three-game skid Tuesday night in the series opener while ending Baltimore's four-game winning streak, and will now try to make it a four-game season sweep. The Mets have outscored the Orioles 46-15 in a series where they haven't lost since 2009.
Trying to at least maintain a 4 1/2-game lead atop the NL East, New York will look to do something it has managed just once all season: win a road game started by Syndergaard.
Syndergaard (7-6, 3.07 ERA) has polar opposite lines at and away from Citi Field this season, sporting a 7-1 record and 1.82 ERA at home and an 0-5 mark and 5.01 ERA on the road. His struggles away from home go along with his team's, as the Mets carry a 22-34 road mark even after Tuesday's 5-3 win.
The right-hander has allowed five homers in his last three starts and eight runs in 11 innings over his last two, but he worked through a bumpy first inning against the Rockies on Thursday.
After surrendering home runs to DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado, Syndergaard settled down to allow just two more hits and another run over his final six innings in a 12-3 win.
"After that, I was just able to settle down and continue to pitch, rather than throw," Syndergaard told MLB's official website. "It was one of those outings where I was able to make mechanical adjustments throughout the game. It's not necessarily how you start, it's how you finish."
Despite Syndergaard's issues on the road, Baltimore manager Buck Showalter doesn't think runs will be any easier to come by on Wednesday.
"That's why they're in first place. They run out five above-average starters," Showalter told MLB's official website. "If we're going to get where we want to go, we're going to have to earn it. Everybody will. That's why it's so rewarding if you can do it."
The Orioles (61-57) are involved in a tight race for the AL's second wild-card spot, but they don't quite know what they will get out of their Wednesday starter.
Ubaldo Jimenez (9-7, 3.92) followed up his best outing of the season - eight shutout innings against the Angels - by allowing four runs and nine hits against the A's on Friday. It took him 102 pitches to make it through five innings.
Jimenez has a 7.39 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break even with that gem in Anaheim. He's already struggled against the Mets this season, lasting just four innings and allowing three runs May 6 in a 5-1 loss at Citi Field.
Catcher Matt Wieters returned to Baltimore's lineup Tuesday after missing a week with a right hamstring strain. Wieters went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles and a run scored, boosting his average to .362 in 19 home games this season.