Senga came away with a no-decision in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Marlins, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks over five innings in a 4-2 loss for the Mets. He struck out eight.
The runs scored on solo shots by Jon Berti and Jesus Sanchez, but Senga was otherwise fairly dominant as he generated 30 called or swinging strikes among his 96 pitches. The 30-year-old right-hander wraps up his first MLB campaign with a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 202:77 K:BB through 166.1 innings, and barring the Mets making a big offseason splash once again, Senga figures to head into 2024 as the team's ace.
Senga (12-7) earned the win over Miami on Wednesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three batters over six innings.
Senga's three punchouts were his fewest in nearly two months, but that didn't prevent him from picking up his second straight victory and eighth consecutive quality start. The Japanese hurler has been dominant during the latter stretch, posting a 2.31 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 58:19 K:BB over 50.2 frames while going 5-1. Senga continues to hand out plenty of free passes -- he's issued multiple walks in 10 straight outings, and his 4.1 BB/9 on the season is fifth-highest among qualified starters -- but he's proven to be a wise offseason signing by the Mets and is increasing his draft stock in fantasy next season with his late-season excellence.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Records 10 punchouts in win
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Senga (11-7) earned the win Thursday, striking out 10 while allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless frames in a 11-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Senga was masterful Thursday, surrendering just two hits -- a pair of singles -- and retiring 13 consecutive Diamondbacks along the way. The 30-year-old tallied his fifth double-digit strikeout effort of the campaign and his third in four starts. Senga has limited opponents to three or fewer earned runs in 14-straight outings dating back to June 23, earning nine quality starts with a 2.46 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 104:31 K:BB across 84 innings during that stretch. He will look to keep the momentum in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled for next week in Miami.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Walks four in no-decision
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Senga did not factor in the decision Friday, yielding two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings in the Mets' loss to the Twins. He struck out five.
It was a fairly lackluster performance for Senga compared to what he's been doing lately. While he turned in his 13th straight start with three or fewer earned runs allowed, he also walked four batters for the first time since June 10. Senga has registered a 2.65 ERA during that 13-game run, bringing his season mark down to 3.07. He's in line for a home matchup against Arizona next week.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Set for five more starts
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Senga is expected to make five more starts this season as the Mets keep an eye on his workload, Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.
New York plays 17 straight days beginning Sept. 8, at which point the team will shift to a six-man rotation -- making it easier to manage Senga's innings in his first North American campaign. He threw 162 innings in his final campaign for Fukuoka in the NPB, and is currently at 136.1 innings in 2023, along with a 3.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and strong 28.5 percent strikeout rate against an 11.1 percent walk rate. Senga is expected to make the first of those September starts Friday, at home against the Mariners.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Cruises to win No. 10
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Senga (10-6) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over seven innings against St. Louis. He struck out five.
Senga picked up his third straight win Saturday, dealing seven frames of two-hit baseball. The outing marked his 10th consecutive appearance allowing three or fewer runs, a stretch in which Senga owns a 2.78 ERA, a 67:20 K:BB and 0.5 HR/9 across 58.1 innings. The 30-year-old will look to continue his strong rookie campaign in his next projected start, which is tentatively scheduled to come against the Angels next week.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Fans seven in win
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Senga (9-6) yielded three runs on four hits and two walks over six innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win against Atlanta.
Senga coughed up a three-run double to Marcell Ozuna in the first inning but settled in for five scoreless frames thereafter. Senga has allowed three or fewer earned runs in nine consecutive starts, registering a 2.98 ERA during that stretch. He's sporting a 3.30 ERA with a 149:59 K:BB through 122.2 frames this season. Senga's next outing is lined up to be in St. Louis.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Records quality start Thursday
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Senga pitched six innings in a no-decision against Washington on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
Senga rattled off five scoreless frames before the Nationals broke a scoreless tie with a run in the sixth. That was enough to put the right-hander in line for the loss upon his departure, but the Mets rallied for two late runs to take him off the hook. Senga finished a strong July with a 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 29:7 K:BB over 23.1 innings covering four starts, though he had only one win to show for it.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Strikes out nine in no-decision
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Senga allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Senga surrendered a solo homer to Mookie Betts in the third inning but otherwise kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard. He didn't get much run support, however, and had to settle for a no-decision despite notching his second straight quality start. Senga has looked great in those two outings, allowing just two runs and posting a 21:3 K:BB over 14 frames. The right-hander has struggled with walks at times this season but has otherwise adjusted to MLB quite well, posting a 3.20 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 95.2 innings. He ranks seventh in the National League with 122 punchouts.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Fans eight in Saturday's loss
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Senga (6-4) took the loss Saturday as the Mets were downed 5-3 by the Cardinals, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out eight.
The 30-year-old righty got taken deep by Paul Goldschmidt in the second inning and Jordan Walker in the third, but Senga regained his focus and shut St. Louis down for the next three-plus frames, although his offense couldn't take advantage. The Mets are making an effort to give Senga extra rest between starts as he adjusts to an MLB schedule -- he hadn't pitched since June 10 -- but he continues to alternate strong outings with mediocre ones. Despite that pattern, his overall results have been good. Since the beginning of May, Senga sports a 3.18 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 55:23 K:BB through 45.1 innings.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Stingy in sixth win
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Senga (6-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Pirates, allowing one unearned run on two hits and four walks over seven innings. He struck out six.
The right-hander continues to have trouble getting the ball over the plate -- he's issued at least three walks in 10 of his first 12 MLB starts -- but Senga has been mostly successful lately in making sure the free passes don't come back to bite him. Since the beginning of May, he's posted a 2.79 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 47:22 K:BB while serving up only two homers in 38.2 innings. He's next set to take the mound at home next weekend against the Cardinals.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Struggles with control in loss
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Senga (4-3) took the loss against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and five walks while striking out six batters over five innings.
Senga pitched on six days of rest, as this start was pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday. The right-hander began with two scoreless frames before surrendering a trio of runs on a walk and three hits -- including two doubles -- in the third. Senga was able to bounce back with two more scoreless innings, but he racked up 106 pitches by the end of the fifth and didn't go any further. The relatively short outing was largely due to his troubles finding the zone -- he threw 41 balls and walked a season-high five batters. Free passes have been the biggest concern for the Japanese hurler this season, as he's issued at least three walks in all but one of his nine starts. Senga has somewhat minimized the damage from the control issues with an excellent 11.4 K/9, but he's completed six innings only three times and sports an uninspiring 1.52 WHIP.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Racks up 12 punchouts Wednesday
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Senga allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out 12 batters over six innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Senga bounced back nicely after a poor start his previous time out, inducing 18 swings-and-misses against the Rays and establishing a season-high mark with 12 strikeouts. The Japanese hurler yielded just one run, but the Mets were shut out until the seventh, preventing him from picking up his fifth win. Senga has adapted pretty well to pitching in MLB, posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 55:26 K:BB through 43 innings.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Taking ball Friday
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Senga's next scheduled start will be Friday against the Rockies, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Senga last pitched on April 26, so he will be starting on eight days' rest. The right-hander has 32 strikeouts over his first 26 major-league innings but has battled control issues with 18 walks. Senga hasn't gone beyond five innings in any of his last three outings.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Handed first loss of season
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Senga (3-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Nationals. He struck out seven.
Both of Senga's allowed runs came in the second inning as Lane Thomas and CJ Abrams each hit singles that drove in a run. Though he only gave up two runs in the start, Senga's command issues persisted as he walked four batters for the third straight start. The 30-year-old has shown flashes, especially with his trademark ghost forkball, but his overall numbers through five starts leave something to be desired (4.15 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 32:18 K:BB).
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Start pushed back to Wednesday
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Mets manager Buck Showalter announced Friday that Senga will make his next start Wednesday against the Nationals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Senga was originally scheduled to start Tuesday against the Nationals in Citi Field, but he'll get an extra day of rest. The Mets will need to make a decision on who will start Tuesday against Washington, and it could be Jose Butto getting the ball for that outing.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Registers third win of season
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Senga (3-0) earned the win Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits over five innings against the Giants. He struck out four and walked four.
While this was hardly a dominant start, Senga pitched well enough to take advantage of the Mets' lively offense in a 9-4 victory. The right-hander now has a 4.29 ERA and 1.52 WHIP through the first four starts of his MLB career. The three-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star is tentatively slated to face the Nationals at home in his next appearance.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Has worst start of young career
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Senga did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings against Oakland. He struck out seven.
Senga had his first shaky start in the big leagues after allowing just two earned runs in his first 11.1 innings pitched. The right-hander was lucky to avoid the loss in this one, as the Mets were able to tack on 17 runs. On the bright side, the 30-year-old has recorded 21 strikeouts so far this year, good for 14th in the majors. If Senga can keep using his forkball to force swings and misses, he could continue to find success.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Sharp in return
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Senga allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out five across three innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.
Senga was scratched from a start Saturday due to tendinitis in his right index finger, though he looked sharp in his return to the mound. He's now thrown five innings during the exhibition season, and he's allowed two earned runs while striking out seven and walking two. Assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks, Senga should be ready to begin the campaign in the Mets' rotation.
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Mets' Kodai Senga: Throws bullpen session
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Senga (finger) threw a bullpen session without issue Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Senga is nursing some right index finger tendinitis but appears to be turning the corner in his recovery. It's unclear when he might be ready to return to Grapefruit League action, but the Mets anticipate their big offseason signing to be ready for the start of the regular season.
