Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga made his first start for the organization’s Triple-A ballclub, the Syracuse Mets, on Thursday night.
Senga took the mound against the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Senga’s workload saw a massive boost tonight, though his effectiveness and efficiency left a lot on the table.
He came out of the gates firing, beginning his start against the top of the Red Wings order by striking out the side, all swinging.
However, he ran into some trouble during the rest of his start, losing control of the strike zone on multiple occasions.
He threw 80 pitches through 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks.
Just two of those runs were earned, as in the fourth inning, the baserunner who eventually scored (Robert Hassell III) reached base on a fielding error by highly touted first base prospect Ryan Clifford.
Senga was removed from the game, having recorded five strikeouts with Syracuse leading 6-3. His signature forkball was his best pitch all night, especially when it came to generating whiffs.
While the Mets are clearly ramping up Senga’s workload at a rapid pace, it remains unclear as to what role he will have on the team’s pitching staff, as well as when he will return to the big league roster.
Senga made his first rehab start last Friday, completing 4.1 innings and throwing 58 pitches at Single-A St. Lucie.
The righty was placed on the IL on April 28 with lumbar spine inflammation.
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