Syndergaard struggling with stolen bases: I'm getting lethargic

Players are figuring out that if they can't hit Noah Syndergaard, they can run on him.

Against one of baseball's best arms, opposing players will do anything to get an edge, and the New York Mets right-hander knows he has a crack in his armor.

He's surrendered eight stolen bases in his last two starts, and 12 overall this season. Runners are now 11-for-12 against him in 2016 after they were 15-of-16 last year - a combined success rate of 92.8 percent.

"I'm just getting too slow and lethargic out there," Syndergaard told reporters. "I'm trying to get back to where I was ... getting in a nice rhythm, getting quick toward home plate."

In the Mets' 6-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, Syndergaard gave up three stolen bases. In his last start, the Cincinnati Reds swiped five bags. His catcher, Kevin Plawecki, is 0-for-5 when runners steal off Syndergaard, and 5-for-8 with the rest of the staff.

Manager Terry Collins and his fireballer agree it's on the pitcher, but in reality the problem is Syndergaard and Plawecki together.

On average, Giants runners took 3.25 seconds to get from first to second on a stolen-base attempt. When Syndergaard pitches from the stretch, he averages 1.69 seconds from the moment he lifts his leg to when the ball hits the catcher's mitt, giving Plawecki 1.56 seconds to fire the ball to second base.

To put that into perspective, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina catches and throws to second in the high 1.80s. Plawecki is clocked at 2.03 seconds, which doesn't give him a chance. Collins said Syndergaard is working on getting the ball to the plate faster without sacrificing what makes him good.

"It might have bothered him a little bit, trying to think he's got to speed up," the manager said. "But for me, you've got to make pitches. If you start taking things away and you don't make pitches, you're going to get beat."