Senga tallied double-digit strikeouts (10) for the third time this season and continues to excel with pure stuff over pinpoint command.
Even if the Mets reach deep into Steve Cohen’s vault and lure the most hyped free agent of all time to Queens this offseason, Shohei Ohtani likely would not be a part of the team’s rotation next season.
The surest thing returning to the Mets’ starting five is Ohtani’s fellow countryman, who continues to show he might be the next ace for a club that no longer has Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Kodai Senga was excellent again in a series-opening, 3-1 loss to Ohtani’s Angels on Friday in front of 38,271 at Citi Field, where Senga was not the chief attraction but remained one of the club’s best developments in an otherwise dreary season. He tallied double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season and continues to excel with pure stuff over pinpoint command. New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga throws a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.The 30-year-old began his first season in MLB with a 4.15 ERA in five April starts. He has posted a 2.94 ERA in 19 starts since, proving his stuff plays against anyone and that he can survive the grind of the marathon season. Hitters have grown accustomed to seeing his ghost forkball but not to hitting it. Angels batters swung at his disappearing, signature pitch 18 times — and missed 15.Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is walked during the 5th inning.The Angels only scored against the righty in the third inning, which would prove enough against a Mets offense that finished with four hits, notably a Francisco Lindor home run. In the third inning, Senga hit Nolan Schanuel before Ohtani blasted a 115.4-mph bullet to right field that baffled Jeff McNeil, who was turned around on what became a double. A sacrifice fly from Brandon Drury and an RBI single from Mike Moustakas then put the Mets in a hole they did not escape. Ohtani’s double would be the only ball he put in play against Senga, his former teammate on the Japan national team.Francisco Lindor is greeted by Pete Alonso after scoring on a solo homer during the third inning.Senga, whose 3.17 ERA ranks fifth among qualified starters in the NL, is on the periphery of the Cy Young race and mounting a strong argument for a top-three finish for NL Rookie of the Year, even if Arizona’s Corbin Carroll likely has the award locked up. The Mets will hope next season, at least on the mound, can be Senga’s.
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