Kodai Senga was masterful again in his home debut as the Mets pummeled the Miami Marlins, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways…
– Senga had an inauspicious start to the game. After picking up a strikeout looking on Jazz Chisholm Jr., he gave up back-to-back singles. He picked up another strikeout against Jorge Soler on his ghost fork before getting a groundout to first baseman Mark Canha to end the inning.
The sixth inning was Senga’s roughest inning. Chisholm smashed a slider that didn’t break over the right-field wall. The broadcast noted the velocity on Senga’s fastball went from 98 mph earlier in the game to hovering around 95 in the inning. After giving up a walk to Luis Arraez, Senga threw a wild pitch and gave up a two-out walk to Jean Segura. But after a mound visit, Senga got Avisail Garcia to ground out to end the threat.
Senga’s final line: 6 IP (90 pitches), three hits, one earned run, three walks, six strikeouts.
Senga’s 14 strikeouts are the second-most by a rookie in their first two starts in Mets history. Matt Harvey has the record when he struck out 18 in 2012.
– The Mets offense, after exploding for nine runs in their home opener Friday, had a slow start. The lineup scratched their first run in the first inning against Trevor Rodgers. Brandon Nimmo was hit to lead off the inning — the team’s ninth HBP in nine games — before Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor went down. Pete Alonso walked and Canha got a swinging bunt past the pitcher to load the bases. Birthday boy Jeff McNeil took a walk to get the Mets on the board, 1-0.
The Mets wouldn’t get anything going until the fifth inning after a two-out Lindor infield single, Alonso launched a breaking pitch over the left-center field wall to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. It’s Alonso’s fourth homer in three games. Alonso finished 1-for-3 with a walk while Lindor had a 1-for-4 day.
– Eduardo Escobar ran into some tough luck on the day. In the second inning he blooped a ball into centerfield but Chisholm made a diving catch to rob him of a hit. In the fourth, Escobar skied a ball that looked as if it was destined to go over the left-field wall, but was just shy and Bryan De La Cruz caught it. The veteran third baseman wouldn’t get robbed in the sixth when he launched a two-run shot to left field to pick up his first hit as a left-handed batter and his first homer of the season.
Escobar’s day ended 1-for-4.
– The Mets bullpen got in and out of trouble in the seventh. Drew Smith left with one out and men on first and second. Brooks Raley came in and walked the bases loaded and gave up a two-out single to Arraez to cut the Mets lead to 5-2. John Curtiss came in to get Soler to pop out to second base.
After a 1-2-3 eighth inning from Curtiss, David Robertson came in to get the Marlins in order and pick up his second save of the season. The Mets won 5-2 with a game time of 2:39.
Highlights
What’s Next
The Mets wrap up their three-game series against the Marlins on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:40 p.m.
Carlos Carrasco will take the mound for the Mets, who will take on Braxton Garrett of the Marlins.
