CINCINNATI -- New York Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard still feels his best career start came in Atlanta two weeks ago, when he limited the Braves to one run on two hits in seven innings. His manager suggested Syndergaard’s outing against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night surpassed the game at Turner Field.

Syndergaard retired 16 straight batters and took a scoreless effort two outs into the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park before surrendering a solo homer to Brennan Boesch. After departing with a runner on first base that ultimately scored, Syndergaard (9-7, 3.34 ERA) was charged with two runs on five hits while striking out 11 in 7 2/3 innings.

“Tonight was the best one he’s had,” manager Terry Collins said. “That’s a good lineup. … They have four All-Stars in the middle of the lineup. To go out and go through them like he did is pretty impressive.”

Syndergaard disagreed, to a point.

“I feel like probably the best I’ve ever felt goes back to the Atlanta start. But I felt pretty amazing tonight,” he said. “I was able to locate my fastball to both sides of the plate. [Catcher] Travis [d’Arnaud] and I had a perfect game plan going. I was able to throw my offspeed pitches for strikes and get some swings and misses on it, and I had a really good feel for my changeup tonight.”

Syndergaard certainly has matured as a pitcher this season.

He has won three straight road starts -- a bugaboo earlier this season, when he was winless in his first nine outings away from Citi Field.

Collins raved about Syndergaard using his entire repertoire on Friday rather than relying on his fastball. Pitching coach Dan Warthen's first-inning script for Syndergaard included diversifying his pitches.

“One of the things he talked about was using his offspeed stuff in the first inning -- show them you’ve got it. And he used it,” Collins said. “As a matter of fact, about the fourth inning he got a little out of control. I think he threw five or six offspeed pitches in a row. When you throw 98 [mph], that might be overdoing it just a hair. But he was having success with it, so he was using it.”

Collins reiterated that Syndergaard will be part of the postseason rotation. In fact, it seems very likely that the Mets will exclusively use their youth against in the rotation against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series, with Syndergaard and Steven Matz joining Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey.

“You’re not going to see him pitch in the seventh inning. I can tell you that,” Collins said of the idea of using Syndergaard as a reliever against the Dodgers. “He’s going to start the game -- whatever game it may be. I’m very impressed. This kid has really gotten better. I hope he learned a lot from tonight because he did an outstanding job against a good lineup.”