NEW YORK _ Noah Syndergaard didn't put up a fight, instead just handing the ball to his manager and exiting the field in discomfort.
The last pitch the starter threw in Saturday's 10-5 win over the Phillies at Citi Field had been lined back at him and drilled him in his right rib cage.
While Syndergaard appeared to avoid major injury, the play provided a scare in an otherwise comfortable victory in the middle game of this three-game set. The Mets (64-77) led 3-0 through three innings, and Todd Frazier paced the team with four RBIs.
Syndergaard (11-3) allowed four runs on 12 hits in 62/3 innings.
Injuries have hampered Syndergaard the last two seasons, and he has been a victim of bad luck in some ways. He tore his right lat last season, and then suffered a strained right index finger this year. He also missed time with hand, foot and mouth disease.
Saturday's scare falls into the fluky category since he was hit by a comebacker. With the Mets leading 9-3 with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Cesar Hernandez rocketed a ball back up the middle that would have went to the outfield had it not hit Syndergaard. Syndergaard fell to the ground before rebounding and grabbing the ball.
He then walked off the field under his own power, and Jerry Blevins ended the inning by striking out ex-Met Jose Bautista on a 3-2 pitch.
Syndergaard pitched well Saturday although the numbers were not impressive. The Phillies only had four hits through five innings before tallying eight against him over his last five outs. Syndergaard struck out four in his 109-pitch effort.
The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the second on Tomas Nido's bases-clearing double, and Frazier's three-run homer in the sixth pushed the lead to 6-0.
