Mets' Kodai Senga better vs. Brewers but leaves with no-decision
Kodai Senga of the Mets pitches during the first inning against the Brewers at Citi Field on Wednesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Kodai Senga’s second start on normal rest went much better than his first.
Senga allowed two runs in five innings against the Brewers at Citi Field on Wednesday night. He left after throwing 102 pitches with the game tied at 2.
In his first start on four days’ rest, on June 4 vs. Toronto, Senga lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up four runs (three earned) in a 6-4 Mets defeat.
In Japan, Senga started once a week, as all pitchers do in that country.
Senga allowed two runs in the first. Christian Yelich led off with a hustle double to right-center. Senga then struck out Williams Contreras and Rowdy Tellez, both on ghost forkballs, before walking Willy Adames on a 3-and-2 fastball.
Jesse Winker followed with a two-run double to the wall in left-center to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.
But that was all Senga allowed. The Brewers made him work – Senga threw 71 pitches in the first three innings – but he got out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the third by striking out Brian Anderson.
Senga, who allowed five hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out eight, picked up his 100th strikeout when he caught Joey Wiemer looking at a pitch for the second out of the fourth.
Senga’s start was in line with much of his 2023 work in his first Mets season. He pitches effectively (3.53 overall ERA), but he doesn’t get deep into games because he doesn’t always find the strike zone.
Senga threw 59 strikes and 43 balls on Wednesday. Of the 22 batters he faced, Senga only threw a first-pitch strike to 11.
Still, Senga left with a no-decision. Tommy Pham got the Mets on the board in the second with a 109-mile per hour, 404-foot solo home run off the facing of the second deck in left against lefthander Wade Miley.
The Mets tied the game at 2 in the fourth on a no-out, bases-loaded walk to Francisco Alvarez. But Miley recovered to strike out Brett Baty and got Mark Canha to ground into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Senga was more efficient in his final two innings, retiring six of seven batters. The fifth was his only 1-2-3 inning of the night.
Manager Buck Showalter said Senga is likely to make another start on four days’ rest soon. If Senga pitches in Arizona on Tuesday on five days’ rest, he would close the first half for the Mets on four days’ rest on July 9 at San Diego.
Senga has been better at home this season. In eight home starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA. In seven road outings, he is 3-3 with a 4.58 ERA.
Mound matters
David Peterson, who threw six shutout innings in his return from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, has earned another start. Showalter said Peterson will face the Giants on Sunday night.
Peterson said after Tuesday night's win: “When I got sent down, I had some things to figure out.”
Jose Quintana will make his final minor-league rehab start on Friday for Syracuse. Owner Steve Cohen, in his pregame news conference, made the announcement that Quintana will make his Mets debut “next week” if all goes well. Quintana has been out since breaking a rib in spring training.
One of Cohen’s reasons for possible optimism was that the Mets have relief pitchers who are “almost healthy.”
Here’s a list of the Mets relievers who are on the injured list: Edwin Diaz, Sam Coonrod, Elieser Hernandez, Bryce Montes de Oca and Edwin Uceta. Unless Diaz is very far ahead of schedule, it’s unclear which of those relievers Cohen was referring to.
Former Yankee Stephen Ridings, the hard-throwing righthander from Commack, is coming back from a right lat strain at Syracuse.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
