Kodai Senga made his second start with Triple-A Syracuse since being demoted and was effective until he wasn't. The Mets' right-hander pitched against Lehigh Valley.
In the first inning, Senga allowed a leadoff single to Johan Rojas before getting back-to-back pop outs. Rojas stole second, but Senga did not let it deter him, as he got Christian Arroyo to fly out to end the inning.
Senga's second inning of work was the opposite, as he got the first two batters out (strikeout, lineout) before Rodolfo Castro hit a two-out single. Senga got through the frame by striking out Payton Henry swinging on five pitches, the last being a forkball in the dirt. The third was an uneven inning for Senga, who hit the first batter he faced but got a double play to erase the runner before allowing his third single of the game. Senga would get an inning-ending lineout to get him through three.
The fourth inning is where Senga really struggled. After the first two runners got on base (single, walk), Senga struck out the next batter, but Castro hit a ground-rule double that knotted the game at 1-1. He bounced back, getting Henry swinging at a curveball, but a wild pitch allowed Lehigh Valley's second run to score and Erick Brito singled to put the IronPigs ahead, 3-1.
A five-pitch walk later, Senga was pulled after 81 pitches (46 strikes). Douglas Orellana, the pitcher in relief of Senga, walked the next two batters to push across the fourth run charged to the Mets hurler.
It was an up-and-down start for Senga, who could not get out of the fourth inning. His final line saw him pitch 3.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters.
It's a far cry from his first start with Syracuse on Sept. 12, when Senga allowed one run on three hits over 6.0 innings (74 pitches) with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza praised Senga's lack of walks in his first start before the big league club's series finale against the Padres on Thursday. But he didn't say he was a lock to be a part of the playoff roster.
"I wouldn't say definitely," Mendoza said. "I think we'll have the conversations and we'll take the best 13 guys that we feel are going to give us the best chance to win baseball games in October. In the meantime, we got ten more and we'll continue to treat it that way.
"I like the fact that there was no walks last time when he pitched in Triple-A," Mendoza said. "Getting ahead, using all of his pitches. He got swing and misses with the split. I think it starts with him throwing strike one and then staying on the attack."
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