Mets' Kodai Senga roughed up by Blue Jays on shorter rest
Kodai Senga’s first attempt at pitching on four days’ rest didn’t go as the Mets or the right-hander had hoped.
After much deliberation, the Mets decided not to give him extra days between starts as he adjusts to pitching every five days rather than once a week, as is the typical schedule in Japan.
Senga went out against the Blue Jays and gave up four runs — three earned — in just 2 ²/₃ innings.
He walked five and gave up a homer in a 6-4 loss at Citi Field on Sunday.
Despite the poor performance, Senga said he didn’t believe the altered schedule was a factor.
“I didn’t feel off at all,’’ Senga said through an interpreter. “I did a good job preparing and I don’t think it affected the result of the game at all.”
Asked what did affect it, since Senga was roughed up in his shortest outing since signing with the Mets in the offseason, the 30-year-old said, “At times, their lineup would take offspeed [pitches]. There were adjustments to make in-game and I wasn’t able to do that.”
Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga Robert Sabo
“He wasn’t quite as crisp, understandably,’’ Buck Showalter said of Senga. “I think Toronto had a lot to do with that.”
Senga ran into trouble in a 31-pitch second inning with a one-out walk to Matt Chapman, a single by Daulton Varsho and a two-run double from Whit Merrifield.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered off Senga in the third and Chapman doubled and scored later in the inning.
Senga’s day ended with back-to-back walks to Varsho and Cavan Biggio.
“It looked to me like they had some early recognition of his off-speed pitches,” Showalter said. “His velocity was OK.”
Both Senga and Showalter said he’d end up pitching every five days again, although days off in the team’s schedule may not necessitate that in the near future.
He’s in the first season of a five-year, $75 million deal, so Senga will certainly have to pitch with less time off than he’s accustomed.
“We had a lot of talks [about the rest], but coming into the league, I knew pitching every fifth day is normal and I was prepared to do that mentally,’’ Senga said. “So it wasn’t a hard decision.”
Showalter noted that the team waited until June —more than a third of the way into the regular season — to do it.
“It’s part of the process and part of the journey he’s on,’’ Showalter said. “He’ll learn from it. I think the next time we attempt to do that, he’ll be better for it. There’s only one way to find out and grow in that capacity.”
Kodai Senga was pulled in the third inning. Corey Sipkin
Entering the game, Senga had a 3.96 ERA in seven outings on five days’ rest and a 2.20 ERA in three starts with six or more days off, although he had a higher WHIP in those games.
He was also pitching against a Blue Jays lineup that can be fearsome.
“This is the big leagues and when you throw the ball in the heart of the plate, it gets hit hard,’’ Senga said. “That was highlighted today.”
Before the game Showalter said Senga was “really looking forward to” pitching on regular MLB rest.
“I don’t know if he’ll feel that way afterwards,’’ Showalter said. “We want to make sure he wanted to do this for the right reasons and not because he wants to fit into what is normal here.”
Source: New York Post
