ATLANTA -- This was not exactly what the Mets had in mind for Kodai Senga heading into the season. When the Truist Park bullpen door swung open in the sixth inning Friday and Senga came jogging through, it represented the sum of nearly three years of false starts and frustrations for the Mets’ $75 million starter.
Perhaps this, however, is how the Mets will get Senga right. Since moving into a bullpen role last week, Senga has allowed three runs over 7 2/3 innings -- all of them on homers by two of the league’s top sluggers, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson. Otherwise, Senga has looked far better than he did as a starter, with eight strikeouts against one walk. Though he took the loss last weekend against the Phillies, Mets officials lauded his performance outside of Schwarber’s home run.
On Friday in Atlanta, Senga hit 98.5 mph on the radar gun while mowing down just about everyone but Olson in a 5-3 loss to the Braves.
All the early damage came against starter Christian Scott and reliever A.J. Minter; by the time Senga took the mound, the Braves held a two-run lead. Tasked with keeping things right there, Senga mostly looked sharp, relying heavily on his fastball to set up his signature ghost fork. Only when he strayed from that formula, throwing a loopy cutter to Olson, did Senga suffer damage.
It remains unclear what will happen next with Senga, who had been an option to pitch the next time the Mets have a rotation opening next Tuesday. At the least, he has reinserted himself into the conversation for a Mets team starving for reliable pitching.