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Rob Thomson says Noah Syndergaard fought to pitch against Mets

Noah Syndergaard will make his next start on Monday against the Reds. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Former Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard will not face his former club for a second-consecutive weekend. This time around, Syndergaard was actually scheduled to pitch, but the Phillies decided to push his start back a day for a few reasons.

The perception in New York is that Syndergaard, who did not speak to New York reporters when the Mets played in Anaheim earlier this season but did so last week, is ducking the Mets. Sports talk radio hosts and columnists alike in the city are running with that version of the story.

On Friday, Rob Thomson laid out the team’s reasoning for why Syndergaard will make his next start Monday against the Reds and how the veteran pitcher reacted to being told he won’t face his former club.

Syndergaard, for starters, pitched on normal rest for the first time all season in his last outing at Cincinnati. The Phillies preferred not to do it again this time around and from a planning perspective, it makes sense.

With Syndergaard pitching Monday instead of Sunday, he will face Pittsburgh next Saturday, get an extra day and pitch next against San Francisco. If the Phillies opted to pitch Syndergaard on normal rest, he wouldn’t be able to get an extra day between starts until the first full week of September.

It sounds rudimentary considering that the Phillies have a couple of the best workhorses in baseball in Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the rotation, but Syndergaard is taking a more cautious approach in his first full year back after Tommy John surgery and the Phillies acquired him knowing that a plan for resting him had to be in place.

On the schedule Syndergaard is currently on right now, his next and only remaining start on normal rest after that would presumably be Sept. 25 vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Thomson also cited Gibson’s recent track record against the Mets. In four starts against New York since getting traded to Philadelphia, Gibson has a 2.35 ERA.

Syndergaard, when speaking with Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia in Cincinnati, said he was pleased with the progress he’s made so far after two turns in the rotation with pitching coaches Caleb Cotham and Brian Kaplan. He was not pleased, however, with the team’s decision to not pitch him against the Mets. Thomson said Syndergaard fought back against the decision.

“I err on the side of caution and I just don’t want to put him in harm’s way, that’s all,” Thomson said. “And we have the luxury that [Gibson] has done pretty well against this club this year. It was just common sense.”

Phillies Notes

The Phillies are still not revealing the exact date in which Bryce Harper will begin his rehab assignment. It’ll be “some time next week,” according to Thomson. When asked if Harper could return at some point during the team’s current homestand, Thomson said, “I don’t think so.”
Zack Wheeler will start Game 1 of the doubleheader on Saturday. Bailey Falter gets Game 2.
Zach Eflin (right knee bruise) is playing catch from 60 feet. He is still not throwing off the mound.

Kyle Schwarber (calf strain) returns to the starting lineup tonight as the designated hitter. Thomson is not sure when Schwarber will return to the outfield.
Harper took batting practice on the field on Friday. NBC Sports Philadelphia‘s cameras caught an absolute tank to the upper deck.

Here are the lineups for Friday’s series opener against the Mets.

Mets