Mets @ Dodgers May 29, 2019: LA looks to Syndergaard against another bullpen implosion

The Dodgers (36-19) lost a rare home game Tuesday night to the Mets (27-27) after the bullpen meltdown in the 7th inning. The third game of the series will matchup two of the best fastball pitchers as Walker Buehler (5-1, 3.58 ERA, 3.06 FIP) takes on Noah Syndergaard (3-4, 4.93 ERA, 3.70 FIP).

	Mets			Dodgers
	7:10 p.m.			Los Angeles
SS	Rosario		LF	Pederson
LF	Smith		2B	Muncy
1B	Alonso		3B	Turner
RF	Conforto		RF	Bellinger
C	Ramos		SS	Seager
3B	Frazier		1B	Beaty
CF	Gomez		CF	Verdugo
2B	Hechavarria		C	Smith
P	Syndergaard (R)		P	Buehler (R)

Buehler has turned things around in May after allowing 17 earned runs on 26 hits in his first 29.1 innings this season. So far this month, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA and 14 K/BB in 26 innings of work. Last time out against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, he pitched six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts and a walk for the win.

This will be Buehler’s first career start against the Mets. The only current New York batters who have faced Buehler are Robinson Cano and J.D. Davis who are both hitless against him. Cano is currently on the injured list with a left quad strain.

Syndergaard is trying to pull himself out of a frustrating rough patch. Last time out against the Tigers, he allowed six runs on 10 hits including two home runs in 5.1 innings. He left the mound amidst a chorus of boos at Citi Field.

Syndergaard isn’t “pushing the panic button” just yet, but his results including a 1.255 WHIP and the 10 home runs he’s allowed have been one of the biggest disappointments for the Mets this season. One of the major factors in his struggles has been his troublesome slider, usually a very effective weapon in his pitching arsenal. His slider usage is down almost 8% over last season. Whether it’s mental or mechanical, Syndergaard looks to right the ship against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.

The hard-throwing righty is 1-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 0.796 WHIP in three career starts against the Dodgers. Corey Seager is 3-for-9 with a home run vs. Thor.

Dave Roberts‘ nearly all lefty lineup has Joc Pederson and Alex Verdugo back in there with the long-haired right-hander on the mound. The only starting right-handed batting position players are Justin Turner and Will Smith. Smith makes his second straight start behind the plate. He went 2-for-4 with a single and a double in his major-league debut Tuesday. 

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Since I really don’t feel like writing about how dreadful the bullpen has been, I’ll focus my thoughts on Cody Bellinger’s awesomeness instead. There’s a lot of season left, but these two months of Bellinger have been spectacular. He’s absolutely locked in.

Bellinger has the hottest bat in baseball and leads the majors in almost every offensive category including WAR (4.4), wRC+ (218), batting average (.382), slugging percentage (.770), OPS (1.239), runs (49), and RBI (51).

.@Cody_Bellinger is the 2nd @Dodgers player ever (Gil Hodges – 1951) with 20+ HR in his team’s first 55 games in a season. pic.twitter.com/5EkhbsVwV2

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 29, 2019

He’s not only dominating NL pitching, but he’s also remarkable in the field. He has seven (!) outfield assists, most in the NL.

The @Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger has seven outfield assists this season. Manute Bol had 11 assists in 82 games in the 1986-87 season for the Bullets. Chuck Klein had a record 44 outfield assists in 1930. He hit 40 HRs that year, the only such 40-40 season in MLB history. #quirkjians

— Tim Kurkjian (@Kurkjian_ESPN) May 29, 2019

Yasiel Puig, Bryce Harper and Mookie Betts all have four OF assists. Last season, Puig had 10 total and three outfielders led the category with 12.