CINCINNATI -- In what has become something like a semiannual event, the Mets welcomed Kodai Senga back from the injured list on Tuesday, engendering some hope that the former All-Star maybe, just maybe, might help save their patchwork rotation.
Within the span of three batters, those dreams evaporated as Senga issued two walks and allowed a three-run homer to Sal Stewart. Though Senga settled down to make it through four innings of a 5-3 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park, he provided little evidence that he can, indeed, be an answer for the pitching-starved Mets.
The good news was that Senga, who missed more than seven weeks due to lumbar spine inflammation, hit 97.9 mph on the radar gun after sitting mostly in the low-90s during his rehab assignment. The bad news was that he didn’t seem to have much idea where those fastballs were going. In addition to walking two batters to set up Stewart’s homer, Senga issued free passes in the third and fourth innings. He also allowed a solo homer to Spencer Steer, temporarily inflating his season ERA into the double digits.
The Mets fought back, rallying multiple times and drawing within two runs of the lead on a Mark Vientos pinch-hit two-run homer in the sixth. But that was as close as they would get. In the seventh, manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, adding a bit of flair to the Mets’ latest loss.