WASHINGTON — Noah Syndergaard left in the second inning with a “possible lat strain,” and it only got uglier for the Mets.
The ace right-hander allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings before he headed for New York for an MRI exam, and the Nationals then cruised to massacre the Mets, 23-5, on Sunday.
Sean Gilmartin replaced Syndergaard and pitched 2 2/3 innings in which he allowed five earned runs on seven hits. Anthony Rendon’s second homer of the afternoon, a three-run blast in the fourth, turned the game into a 10-4 runaway. Rendon finished 6-for-6 with three homers and 10 RBIs to lead the Nationals’ 23-hit rampage.