Brandon Nimmo drops hammer on Noah Syndergaard, Dodgers with five-hit day in Mets' win

LOS ANGELES — On a good day for the Mets on the field, Brandon Nimmo was even better. 

He led the Mets to a 5-3 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday by going 5-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs scored.

It was the second time in his career that Nimmo collected five hits in a game. He also did so on Aug. 15, 2018, against the Orioles in Baltimore, on occasion he immediately recalled perfectly after repeating the feat at Dodger Stadium. 

“Just a pretty cool day that I’m trying to soak in, honestly,” Nimmo said. 

Because his long ball came in the first inning after Max Scherzer was ejected for what umpires ruled an illegal sticky substance on his hand, it yielded a little more excitement in the Mets’ dugout than the usual go-ahead shot. 

“I was just elated to hit my first homer of the year,” Nimmo said. “But the guys were pretty pumped up about it. I understood the situation, but I was just trying to have a good at-bat and pass the torch, try to win another ballgame. 

“Things are going to happen to us for the rest of the season. That’s just the nature of the game. It’s also the nature of New York. Things are going to happen. So we’ve got to be able to roll with the punches, take a punch and get back up and try again. That’s what I was trying to do.” 

Nimmo’s first three hits came off Syndergaard, who allowed two runs in six innings in his first start against the Mets. He struck out two and was lifted after just 74 pitches. 

Syndergaard’s sinker averaged 92 mph. That is down from, for example, his 98.5 norm in 2016. 

“He doesn’t have the 98 anymore, but he’s figuring out how to pitch without it,” Nimmo said. “Not everybody has that. He is pitching well like that. Obviously, he only held us to two runs. So he did a good job of pitching. Really his only mistake was probably to me.” 

Marte still hurting 

Starling Marte exited in the sixth inning due to neck stiffness, the lingering result of a collision between his head and Marlins third baseman Jean Segura on April 9. 

The issue makes it difficult for him to turn his head to the left and see/recognize pitches, Marte said. He is batting .133 (4-for-30) since getting hurt. 

Manager Buck Showalter pulled Marte after having third-base coach Joey Cora — who frequently functions as a go-between for the manager and player — ask him if he was OK. That was when Marte acknowledged the continued soreness. 

“He just didn’t look like himself,” Showalter said. “Just physically, we all know what he’s capable of doing. Just noticed the last couple of days that he doesn’t seem confident about how he feels.” 

Carrasco update 

Carlos Carrasco is dealing with another bone spur in his right elbow, the Mets said. He had surgery in October 2021 to remove a bone fragment that he said previously had bothered him periodically for years. 

The Mets’ immediate-term plan: an injection into Carrasco’s elbow followed by a shutdown of 3-5 days. And then they’ll see what happens. 

“We’ll see how that alleviates some of the issue,” Showalter said. “If it doesn’t, then we’ll see if we can take another course of action. We hope that happens.” 

Showalter initially dodged questions about what was wrong with Carrasco, who went on the injured list Tuesday with elbow inflammation, before the Mets later provided the bone spur update. 

Personnel news 

The Mets activated righthander Tommy Hunter (back spasms) from the IL and optioned righthander Denyi Reyes to Triple-A Syracuse. 

Reyes will start in the minors, Showalter said, so that he is a rotation option since the Mets have burned through so much of that depth already. 

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.