Kodai Senga is staying in the Mets rotation despite his rough return from injury, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed Tuesday.
The right-hander came back after nearly two months on the shelf with lumbar spine inflammation. Things went sideways immediately.
Senga walked two batters in the first inning, then gave up a three-run homer to Sal Stewart and a solo shot to Spencer Steer. Just like that, Cincinnati had a 4-0 lead before most fans had finished their first beer.
He settled down after that mess, pitching three more scoreless innings. But the damage was done – the Mets couldn’t climb all the way back in what became a 5-3 loss to the Reds.
Mendoza’s sticking with his ace despite the ugly return.
Mendoza: Kodai Senga likely to remain in Mets rotation, via @AnthonyDiComo
Here’s what makes this interesting – Senga’s velocity looked good. His fastball sat in the low-90s during his rehab assignment, but he was hitting 97.9 mph on Tuesday. The arm strength is there.
Command? That’s another story.
Beyond those two first-inning walks that started the avalanche, Senga issued free passes in the third and fourth innings too. Four walks total against a Reds lineup that’s been struggling to get on base consistently this season.
The numbers aren’t pretty right now. Senga’s carrying a 9.00 ERA through six starts with an 0-5 record. He’s struck out 28 but walked 17 – not exactly the precision you want from your ace.
That’s where the Mets find themselves. They’ve got a pitcher who can still bring the heat but needs to locate it better. Senga’s next start should come sometime next week, and the organization’s hoping he can harness that mid-90s fastball with better control.
The way I see it, Mendoza doesn’t have much choice but to ride this out. When Senga’s right, he’s their best starter. The question is whether he can get their without giving opposing hitters too many opportunities to tee off on mistake pitches.
