May 27th, 2023 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka There is no kind or gentle way to say it: 30-year-old Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard is having an awful 2023 season thus far – to the tune of a 1-4 record and an atrocious 6.27 ERA through his thus far 10 starts and 47.1 innings pitched.
During Friday’s ugly 9-3 Dodgers loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, the 6′-6″ / 242lb Mansfield, TX native and first round draft pick in 2010 out of Legacy High School in Mansfield allowed six runs on eight hits (including a fourth-inning solo shot by Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz to give Tampa a then 6-2 lead), while striking out only three and walking one.
“Pretty much what they’ve been doing all year to put themselves in the position that they’re in,” Syndergaard said of the Rays postgame. “Just not a lot of positive emotion right now when I think about pitching in particular,” he added of himself.
“It’s just hard going out there with the weapons I used to have kind of being taken away from me. I just don’t possess enough right now to successfully battle a team like that. But just continue to work my butt off between starts to snap out of this,” Thor (as he is known) added.
“I see the frustration. I absolutely get it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Syndergaard after his team’s ugly loss on Friday night. “As far as his stuff, I actually thought the fastball was up tonight. I think the command wasn’t good. This is an aggressive ballclub, and there was a lot of middle-middle mistake pitches.”
To be fair, Syndergaard was not the sole reason why the Dodgers got the lunches handed to them by the AL East first-place Rays on Friday. They went an unacceptable 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left an unacceptable 11 men on base.
“Obviously they outplayed us tonight. I thought we had (Rays right-hander Cooper) Criswell, to make it a game at some point, maybe in the third or fourth inning, and we just couldn’t capitalize,” said Roberts. “They caught a lead and at that point in time they just started matching up.”
Obviously.
The good news is that Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw will be on the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon, and how can you not love that.
Play Ball!
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I was actually a fan of the signing during the offseason, but his performance is definitely not going to get anyone excited, especially Noah Syndergaard himself. That positive emotion is what carries a player through the year, without it, I think he is doomed. I really like to see a player comeback and maybe not be the superstar that he once was, but at least perform to a decent level. Jason Heyward is a great example of a comeback story, I hope he can continue to produce at a decent level; doesn’t have to be all-star caliber, just .250 with an extra base hit every now and again, and solid defense. That is all we are asking of CT3. As for Trayce Thompson, I am a fan of any player that can break into the majors, but I think the Dodgers are doing him a disservice keeping him on the roster and hoping he can come through in some situation, any situation. He needs to be DFA’d and hopefully can go back to the minors to work out his swing, I truly feel bad for he and Thor, similar but different situations.
Finally, even though #22 was off a bit today, it always feels great to see him on the mound. The Boys in Blue came out with a “W” today and it was gutsy on so many levels. Shout out the Max in my love/hate feelings about him, and what a timely HR by the rookie Vargas. Another rookie pitching tomorrow in “breakfast with the Dodgers”; Go Dodgers Go!
Syndergaard wasn’t the pitcher I thought the team would add to the roster, but once signed I thought he and the Dodgers coaches would bring back some of his stuff that made him Thor. I still believe in the process, but Noah has taken several steps back. For me, his quotes indicate a person who needs a mental time-out — put him on the IL instead of throwing him back on the mound for his next start, and don’t bring him back until he is mentally and physically ready — which may be never. Continuing to put him on the mound and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
Heyward looks and acts like a player who has had a tremendous weight lifted and it seems that every player in the dugout is thrilled to have him on the roster. Just the opposite is Thompson, who needs a change of teams. Roberts continues to call his number when a lefty is on the mound with predictable results — what was that definition of insanity?
Well Jesse, our intentional/unintentional quip on Trayce Thompson must have done something; he went three for three with a homerun yesterday. Still not sure he is going to pan out, but here’s to hope springing eternal. Also happy to see CT3 make a significant contribution with two HR’s. Sad the boys lost with after scoring 10 runs, that doesn’t happen very often. Back at home tonight, let’s see how Bobby M. fares after an effective first outing. Hopefully our downgrading Syndergaard will have the same effect on him that it had on Thompson. If Stone’s performance is any indication, the team is going to hobble until Julio gets back. Not much of an option other than stay a little bit longer with Syndergaard until May gets back or some other miracle appears. 6 of 30 days off in June should be helpful. Kershaw, Gonsolin, Urias, Miller and Syndergaard until May is back; any thoughts?
We just have to weather the storm until some injured players get back. Play .500 and tread water until the trade deadline and getting our players healthy.