After initially declining to answer if Noah Syndergaard would make his next start, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed the right-hander will take the mound on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers elected to stick with Syndergaard in the starting rotation after evaluating other candidates and taking into account Julio Urías, Dustin May and Ryan Pepiot remain on the injured list
“Just trying to continue to bet on him and also looking at the guys that we have on the IL, the potential alternatives, I think netting it out, this made the most sense,” Roberts said of the decision to give Syndergaard another start.
Syndergaard has struggled in his first season with the Dodgers, going 1-4 with a 6.54 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 11 starts. He’s allowed at least five earned runs in four of those outings, including each of his last two starts.
Syndergaard was particularly critical of himself after facing the Washington Nationals last week and said he felt like the “weakest link” of the Dodgers. “I think Noah certainly had an honest admission, but we want him to start on Wednesday against the Reds,” Roberts said.
“When he makes that start, I’m going to feel the same way I do every time he takes the mound. That he’s going to pitch well and it’s going to turn.”
Noah Syndergaard hoped to be Dodgers’ latest reclamation project
Syndergaard is yet to benefit from the long history of success Dodgers pitching coaches have in helping with a turnaround, which he cited as one of the primary reasons behind signing with the team.
“I think when you think of the Los Angeles Dodgers, it has this aura around it,” Syndergaard said at the time. “The expectations are super high and you’re expected to go out there and perform to the highest level.
“What they did with Heaney and Tyler Anderson, I definitely want to be in that category.”
Although the 30-year-old is taking the ball against the Reds, Syndergaard’s time in the Dodgers starting rotation could soon be coming to an end if he continues to struggle. Urías is expected to come off the 15-day IL during the Philadelphia Phillies series.
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