Kodai Senga's wildness returns in Mets' loss to Twins
Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga waits as the Twins' Carlos Correa, back, runs the bases on a solo home run during the fourth inning of a game Friday in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
MINNEAPOLIS — The weak spot in Kodai Senga’s sparkling season resurfaced Friday in the Mets’ 5-2 loss to the Twins.
In an overall fine start (two runs in six innings), Senga was wild and inefficient, especially early. He walked four, his most in a game in nearly three months.
“I flat-out missed the zone a lot of the time,” he said through an interpreter. “I honestly think I was lucky to be able to get out of it with two runs.”
Free passes have been a problem for Senga, whose 11% walk rate is third-highest among qualified pitchers, but he had been better lately. After walking at least four batters in seven of his first dozen starts, he didn’t do so in any of his next 13 outings. Then came Friday.
Senga (3.07 ERA) managed to pitch through the middle innings, allowing Royce Lewis’ RBI double in the first and Carlos Correa’s homer in the fourth. After needing 48 pitches to get through the first two innings, he threw 53 in the next four frames.
“Just because I don’t feel good doesn’t mean I fold and give up the game,” he said. “I’m given four or five days to prepare for this game and I think it’s my job to stay out there and make the game winnable. And I take pride in that.”
Manager Buck Showalter said: “You can tell he didn’t have a good feel for command and found a way to keep us engaged. A lot of guys would not have got through six innings.”
The Mets managed two runs in five innings off Dallas Keuchel on Francisco Lindor’s double in the fourth. Sean Reid-Foley and Grant Hartwig combined to allow three runs in a tiebreaking 41-pitch bottom of the seventh.
Notes & quotes: The Mets nominated Francisco Lindor for the Roberto Clemente Award, MLB’s top philanthropic honor. “It’s extremely special,” Lindor said. “Being Puerto Rican, since you were a little kid, they talk to you about him in school. Clemente is part of our history. Wherever you go, they talk about him.” . . . DJ Stewart sat out for a third consecutive game because of back/side discomfort . . . The Mets intend to try Ronny Mauricio at other spots in the infield besides second base but probably won’t put him in the outfield, Showalter said.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
