Kodai Senga gives swinging Mets Rotation a rare positive before he loses steam

Kodai Senga said that Thursday night’s outing against the Braves was the best he had felt since he was out of the 15-day wounded list last month.

Against the sixth inning, however, Senga was in a bit of a jam when he started losing the aggressiveness and conviction with which he had already thrown a majority of night.

After walking Matt Olson, giving up a single to Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II for put runners first and third on a sharp ground ball to midfield, Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza Senga decided to give the hook and transfer the game to the bullpen.

Senga was perhaps the first Mets-starter in more than a week to complete five innings, but the relievers could not finish the track in a loss of 4-3 to complete the three-game series against Atlanta on Citi Field.

“At that time – 93 litters, I think it was – I have a nice, pretty good arm [in Tyler Rodgers] Ready to go there too, “said Mendoza when he was asked if his decision to get Senga was because of the Thuis Run Ozzie Albies turned him off in the fourth or just how he felt then. “I just couldn’t get the latter there. But I thought Senga was generally really good.”

There have not been many positive points for the Mets to take away this piece of losses, but Senga gave the club a light spark of hope in an otherwise difficult pitching piece.

And yet Senga, who had not gone six innings or more since June 6, had to look from the sidelines while Albies tore an RBI single to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.

“I think it is a bit going back to the things that we could have done better,” Senga said through a translator when he was asked if he expected to combat albies. “There was the previous start, I threw a fastball at a man waiting for a fastball. And if things might have been different, I would have had that last Slagman. Maybe not, I don’t know. But it goes a bit back to the preparation section and ensures that I can do everything I can do now, so it helps in the future.”

After only having thrown 74 throws towards the end of the fifth inning, Senga broke the five-game streak of the Mets of Starting pitchers who did not complete such a piece.

In 5 ²/₃ Innings, the Japanese Hurler allowed five hits, two earned points, one walk, seven strikeouts and one home run. Of his 93 throws were 61 strikes.

“I was able to throw all my pitches how I wanted to manipulate them,” said Senga after Rodgers, Ryan Helsley (who took the loss) and Edwin Díaz combined for the bullpen. “I think every pitch was the standard to compete with the batter, and if I can continue this [moving] Ahead, I think I can string some good trips. “