The New York Mets held the third-worst batting average with runners in terms of scoring position when they were set to face the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Facing the Rockies, who also boasted the worst starting pitching ERA, the Mets managed to overpower them, all thanks to a great display by the pitching staff. And one of them who shined throughout the game, leading the Mets to an 8-2 win over the Rockies, was Kodai Senga. However, Senga doesn’t seem to be too satisfied with his outing. Guess why?
Other than the solo home run by Ezequiel Tovar, Kodai Senga didn’t put a foot wrong. Senga managed to retire 17 in a row before managing a walk in the seventh inning. Heaping praise on Senga, manager Carlos Mendoza said, “I mean, he was outstanding, you know, he was really good, you know, for him to go back out there for the seventh and yeah, I mean, he’s getting swings and misses and he uses all of his pitches like he was really good.” But Kodai Senga didn’t look too happy.
Now, in an interview, when asked about his start against the Colorado Rockies, Kodai Senga said, “I was able to use a lot of pitches, manipulate my pitches, and get through the ice.” Senga further said through the interpreter standing beside him, “Ideally, I’d like to get through without giving up any runs. But I think it’s just a result of throwing the pitches where I know that they’re going to hit it, and it just happens to be that way. I think the most important thing was that I was able to throw strikes to get ahead.”
Not to forget that it was the first time since 2023 that Kodai Senga allowed two or fewer hits in at least 6 1/3 innings he pitched. However, the seventh inning wasn’t as good as expected. Senga clarified the matter, saying that whenever the pitch count increases, it’s either the fatigue or the mechanics that make him feel a little bit off.
Although Senga hit a solo home run that put the Mets in an early hole, Senga was unhittable from that point. The right-handed pitcher allowed only a single RBI to the Rockies’ second baseman, Thairo Estrada. However, his heroics were enough to put the Mets in the driving seat, as he finished his spell with seven strikeouts, allowing only two runs, two walks, and an equal number of hits.
Although Senga seemed a little bit off, despite showing his pitching prowess, there’s more about the game between the two teams that has left a positive impression among the fans.
Mets manager heaps praise on everyone for collective efforts
While it might be Kodai Senga’s night that led to the New York Mets winning the game against the Colorado Rockies, let’s not forget that there was a good contribution from others as well. Remember Brett Baty, who managed to push a three-run triple to left-center field, hitting against Antonio Senzatela at Citi Field. But that’s not all!
Probably, the New York Mets were too happy to see their superstar worth $765 million getting back into his element, just like earlier. Both Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo managed to post back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning. And it eventually led the Mets to post eight runs. The last time they managed to post nine runs was against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 2. As expected, such a performance by everyone in the team is worthy of praise.
Carlos Mendoza said, “I feel like it’s been a thing for us, but we also know that we’re doing some good things when you look at the underlying numbers. Yeah, we want to see results, but you know that at some point, that’s going to come our way, and we saw it today.” He’s got a point, though. Do you remember how Juan Soto was struggling this season?
However, ever since Carlos Mendoza has made some adjustments in the lineup, sending Juan Soto down to the third and Pete Alonso to the fourth, things have taken a positive turn. And it worked like magic. Francisco Lindor, who went 2-for-3, managed to acquire a single, while Brandon Nimmo posted his ninth home run. Their revamped lineup is clicking, and hopefully, the Mets will continue to spin the magic in the upcoming games, too.
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