By way of the Mets’ 1-9 skid, they’ve been unable to recover from the hump of starters not going deep into video games.
Their streak of David Peterson being the one pitcher to go six-plus innings reached 51 video games on Friday. And, not too dissimilar from Sean Manaea earlier within the week, it got here on an evening when their starter was rolling early on.
Kodai Senga made it by way of simply 4 1/3. It not solely continued the Mets’ string of abbreviated begins, nevertheless it extended a stoop for Senga that started shortly after he returned from the injured record.
By way of 4 innings on Friday, Senga was efficient and environment friendly. His pitch rely was at 60 by way of 4 scoreless frames.
Even when issues have been going properly, although, it wasn’t essentially the most dominant model of Senga. He solely had two strikeouts, each of the wanting selection. He obtained simply two whiffs all night time — one with the cutter, one with the four-seam and none along with his signature forkball.
The sport sped up on Senga after a self-inflicted wound. He couldn’t cleanly area a mushy tapper, letting Blake Perkins attain on an error. The very subsequent pitch Senga threw was a cutter over the center of the plate that Brice Turang blasted to right-center for a game-tying two-run homer.
Senga by no means rediscovered his rhythm after that. Two walks, sandwiched by catcher’s interference from Francisco Alvarez, loaded the bases.
Senga’s pitch rely was nonetheless at a manageable 79, with 19 within the inning. If issues have been going higher for the Mets — and maybe if Senga had been extra dependable these days — it’s a spot the place Carlos Mendoza might need let his ace determine issues out. However in a 2-2 sport, Mendoza didn’t have that sort of leash on Senga.
He pulled him proper there.
After the sport, Mendoza insisted that there have been constructive indicators. However Senga himself was self-critical.
“The largest purpose is the incorrect pitches on the incorrect time, within the incorrect location as properly,” Senga advised reporters by way of an interpreter.
Of the 20 four-seam fastballs Senga threw, simply seven have been within the strike zone. And hitters solely swung at three of them. He threw 16 forkballs; hitters solely swung at six of them, and so they made contact all six instances. With these pitches not working in tandem for Senga, he needed to rely extra on his cutter — a pitch that’s been hit for a .307 anticipated batting common and .472 xSLG this season.
Senga combined in a complete of seven pitch sorts as he tried to grind by way of the Brewers’ hitters. It largely labored within the first 4 innings, nevertheless it fell aside on him within the fifth.
The Mets’ bullpen largely did its job on Friday. The large blow was Brooks Raley letting one among Senga’s runs rating on an 0-2 hit by pitch, however in any other case, Raley mixed with Ryne Stanek, Gregory Soto, and Tyler Rogers for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. They saved New York in it till the final play, when Starling Marte was thrown out on the plate to finish the sport.
However as soon as once more, the bullpen needed to do the grunt work. And that was regardless of the Mets having one among their finest beginning pitchers on the bump.
Assessing Senga’s season is a little bit difficult. No one would complain in regards to the total numbers — a 2.30 ERA in 18 begins — however that’s now 4 consecutive subpar outings. His ERA has risen practically a run in that span, up from a dominant 1.39 earlier than his IL stint.
A bit of regression was to be anticipated. However now the query is whether or not Mendoza’s optimism was justified. Is Senga heading in the right direction to returning to his dominant kind, or is he simply going to maintain handing over these abbreviated, shaky outings? He must rediscover the texture for his pitch combine — notably his bread and butter within the fastball-forkball combo. As a result of, as Friday’s outing displayed, Senga’s success with out these two pitches isn’t sustainable.
