Senga shakes off Shohei's HR, then Pete ends drought to best LA

NEW YORK -- It’s “not fun,” Kodai Senga said, to pitch to Shohei Ohtani.

Facing his superstar countryman in the first inning Sunday night at Citi Field, Senga turned to watch Ohtani deposit a 95 mph fastball into the second deck in right.

Then Senga, embodying a quality that has defined his entire team, pushed it aside to complete the rest of his business, pitching into the sixth inning of a 3-1 Mets win over the Dodgers. Pete Alonso snapped a career-long homerless streak as the Mets took two of three from the defending World Series champions, matching their record at 32-21.

“We know we’re good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We like our chances against anybody -- that’s the bottom line.”

Senga currently leads the NL with a 1.46 ERA, though he won’t be on the official leaderboard the next time he takes the mound. (Pitchers need one inning per team game to qualify for the ERA title; Senga, who has thrown 55 2/3 of them in 53 team games, has called reaching the 162-inning mark a personal goal.)

Beyond that, Senga’s ability to recover from mistakes and escape jams has become part of his identity. As for the other notable aspects of Sunday’s game …

He was due
When Alonso stepped to the plate in the first inning, he had gone 71 consecutive plate appearances without a homer. Though it had been two years since he had a stretch of even 50 plate appearances without one, Alonso said he wasn’t aware that this drought marked a career long.

“Obviously, I knew it was a while,” Alonso said. “But ultimately, it is what it is. I feel like sometimes that happens, and for me, I’m just really happy I was able to come through right there.”

His two-run blast was a 107 mph screamer off a first-pitch Landon Knack knuckle curve. It gave the Mets a lead they would never relinquish.

“Hopefully,” Mendoza said, “they come in bunches now.”

Soto speed
It’s no coincidence that Juan Soto has as many stolen bases -- seven -- through 53 team games as he did all last season with the Yankees. Swiping more bags has been a point of emphasis for Soto, who possesses below-average sprint speed (he’s in the 17th percentile of qualified Major League players) but a high baseball IQ.

Soto’s career high is 12 stolen bases, which he set in 2019 and matched four years later. He’s currently on pace to shatter that personal best with 21.

In addition to his third-inning steal on Sunday, Soto hastened down the line to reach on a Max Muncy error in the first inning, putting a runner on base for Alonso’s homer. It all served to diminish the recent narrative that Soto hasn’t been hustling.

“I know it’s been a topic,” Mendoza said, referencing Soto’s Green Monster single last week in Boston. “But the guy plays hard. He’s stealing bases. He’s going first to third. He’s going second to home. He’s playing the game. He’s a winning player.”

Catch me if you can
Although Mendoza brushed aside the implication when asked about it, he couldn’t deny the simple fact that this weekend, for the first time since Francisco Alvarez returned from wrist surgery in late April, Luis Torrens started consecutive games behind the plate.

In his public comments, Mendoza has little incentive to compare one catcher to another, but the difference between those two over the past two weeks has been stark. Since May 7, Alvarez is 5-for-34 (.147) with 12 strikeouts and one extra-base hit. Torrens is 8-for-22 (.364) with five strikeouts and three extra-base hits. Torrens also leads the league in caught stealing percentage while rating higher than Alvarez in Statcast’s framing metric.

In the first inning Sunday, Torrens slapped a quick tag down on Mookie Betts at home plate, taking advantage of a strong Tyrone Taylor throw to prevent an early sacrifice fly.

“Luckily, it went right to Torrens and he made a great tag,” Taylor said.

Realistically, Mendoza will continue using each of his catchers multiple times per week. (Alvarez is tentatively scheduled to start Monday’s series opener against the White Sox.) But the longer the above trends continue, the more likely this develops into a true timeshare -- whether Mendoza wants to say it out loud or not.

“You’ve got two guys that you feel really good about your chances, regardless of who’s playing,” Mendoza said. “I think that’s a very good problem to have. It’s a luxury, knock on wood. Let’s just hope that they both stay healthy, and they continue to do what they do.”