The second deployment of Kodai Senga in the postseason backfired spectacularly for the New York Mets, which seems fitting considering the stage was set in Los Angeles.
Pitching in just his third game all year following 5.1 innings of regular-season work sandwiched by shoulder and calf injuries and a two-inning outing in Game 1 of the NLDS, Senga was tagged for three runs while walking four and allowing two hits in just 1.1 innings of work in Sunday night’s 9-0 loss in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While he was expected to be given a three-inning limit, considering he has yet to be stretched out to a full starter’s workload, the 31-year-old lasted just 1.1 innings in which 20 of the 30 pitches he threw were called for balls.
“I’m frustrated and disappointed,” Senga said through his interpreter. “But I need to keep making adjustments, and the team has [Game 2 on Monday], so we have just got to keep winning games.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said it is unclear whether Senga will get the ball again on his next scheduled start, which is Game 5 on Friday at Citi Field.
“I think it’s going to come down to how he’s going to bounce back,” Mendoza said.
David Peterson, who has been stellar out of the bullpen throughout most of this postseason, threw 40 pitches in relief in Game 1, allowing two runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of work. Coming off a career year in which he went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA as a starter, he remains an obvious candidate to take the ball from Senga in Game 5.
“I don’t know when I’m pitching next,” Senga said. “But my job is to adjust and focus on what I need to do to make the next outing better.”
But as the stakes continue to amplify, the Mets cannot afford another start like the one on Sunday night — especially against a Dodgers team that tied an MLB record by posting a 33rd consecutive scoreless inning with the final out of Game 1.
Ultimately, it comes down to trust. Mendoza could see Sunday night’s start as an anomaly, and Senga could take a step forward in Game 5. He did look good in his two innings of work in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies after giving a lead-off solo home run to Kyle Schwarber.
