1 week Ago
NEW YORK — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is not ready to quit on Kodai Senga. Ahead of Game 3 at Citi Field on Wednesday, Mendoza revealed that the team will give the 30-year-old right-hander another chance. “He’s scheduled to pitch Game 5,” Mendoza said with trepidation.
“At what capacity? We’ll see.” Mendoza chose his words carefully. He didn’t name him the starter.
He won’t name a starter until Friday, after Game 4. If the Mets have to use David Peterson and Tylor Megill in either game, Senga will be the likely starter Friday. If Not, the team is comfortable using him out of the bullpen.
“He said he pitched in Japan out of the bullpen, so it’s not going to be the first time he’s done that if we ask him to do it,” Mendoza said. “It’s kind of like the same treatment that we’re giving Megill and (Peterson) where we’re going to have to be extra careful, and when we are making that decision and we get him up, most likely he’s going to come in and pitch in that game.” BUY METS TICKETS: STUBHUB , VIVID SEATS , TICKETMASTER Senga admitted that a “mechanical error” he noticed before Game 1 was the cause of his poor start.
He allowed three earned runs on two hits and four walks against the Dodgers. He didn’t strike out a batter for the first time in his career. Senga didn’t have command of his best pitch, the forkball, spiking three of them in the first inning alone.
His fastball was also down, averaging 93.5 mph, down from 95.7 mph last season — also a factor of his mechanics being off, Senga confirmed.
If Senga gets the ball in Game 5 — as a starter or a reliever — he won’t be given much opportunity to fix his mechanics on the fly. If he looks off, like he did in Game 1, Mendoza will be ready to get him out. “With anyone, not only with Senga,” Mendoza said.
“This is the playoffs now.” Senga has experience out of the bullpen. In eight seasons in Japan, he served mostly as a relief pitcher, appearing in 171 games, 74 as a starter.
Senga emerged as the ace of the staff last season. That’s when in 29 starts, he posted a 12-7 record with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts over 166-1/3 innings (10.
9 SO/9). This earned him an All-Star nod and NL Cy Young votes — he placed seventh in the award. In one regular start this season, he pitched 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine batters before suffering the calf injury.
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