On Sunday, Noah Syndergaard continued to struggle on the mound after taking a loss against the Cardinals. But there may be a valid excuse this time.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, Syndergaard was sick during his start. It's unknown what illness he had exactly, but "Thor" won't be cashing in that excuse for his poor performance. He allowed six runs, four earned on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks over five innings.

This opening month of the season hasn't seen the typical dominance that Syndergaard has displayed in the past. He owns a 5.90 ERA over five starts, and he admitted after his outing in St. Louis that he needs to turn it around soon.

"To be quite honest, the entire beginning of this season, my performances have been unacceptable," Syndergaard told reporters. "I have to be better. I will be better. There's no excuses for it."

If all works out accordingly with Jacob deGrom, Syndergaard will should have his next start on Saturday -- the day his "Game of Thrones" bobblehead will be handed out at Citi Field. He will face a tough opponent in the Brewers, which will be the ultimately test to see if he worked out the kinks on the bump.

Syndergaard isn't even the worst of the Mets' starting pitching problems. Jason Vargas has been atrocious with a 9.58 ERA (11 earned runs over 10.1 innings), and though Zack Wheeler looks to be getting back on track after his last two outings, he still owns a 6.35 ERA as walks have plagued his performances (14 over 22.2 innings).

Overall, the Mets' team ERA among starters is 6.09, a number that needs to change if this team wishes to be contenders throughout the year. And Syndergaard will be vital in making that happen.

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