The New York Mets had some question marks in the back of their rotation, but Kodai Senga has been a positive so far.
The New York Mets are getting some surprisingly strong pitching from the back half of their rotation, and the result is a three-game winning streak now that he offense is starting to click. One of the biggest surprises has been Kodai Senga, who’s gone from being a question mark to a pitcher who’s providing top-of-the-rotation production.
Senga showed off his stuff again yesterday against the San Francisco Giants, and the results were once again impressive. He took a shutout into the sixth inning, and Senga gave up just two runs when he ran out of gas after pitching 5-2/3 innings. Senga has now allowed four runs in 11-2/3 innings, which is good for a 3.09 ERA, and he’s struck out 16 of the 47 hitters he’s faced.
“The biggest thing is I was able to throw healthily, and that I was able to get out of it healthy,” Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara in a piece written by Brent Maguire of MLB.com.
The Mets have seen what Senga can do when he’s right. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2023, as he struck out 202 hitters and pitched to a 2.98 ERA.
They’ve also seen what can happen when things go wrong, as Senga ended up being demoted to the minors last year when injuries messed up his mechanics so badly that he actually refused to pitch at one point.
The Mets have gotten strong performances from Senga and Clay Holmes, and the rotation is turning out to be a strength of the team. There’s competition for spots in the back end, and Senga knows it.
“I think it's a really strong group,” Senga said of the Mets’ rotation. “As long as we stay healthy, stay out on the mound, we can be a stabilizing force for the team. And if it goes for everybody and myself, I don't want to be the one lagging behind.”
The ones lagging behind right now are David Peterson and Sean Manaea. Manaea was recently exiled to the bullpen, but he gave the Mets some important filler innings when Peterson struggled mightily in what ended up being a blowout loss.
The Mets also have impressive rookie Jonah Tong waiting in the wings at Syracuse, so off days for Mets starters where they don’t have their best stuff come with some risk. The level of performance the Mets are getting from Senga right now is a bonus, and the Mets will gladly take it as they try and duplicate their fast start from last year.