Senga’s Struggles Persist in Washington

Kodai Senga failed to deliver a quality start against the Nationals on Wednesday, continuing what has been a disturbing trend for him and all other Mets pitchers not named David Peterson.

The first two innings looked promising, as Senga retired all six Nats batters on just 19 pitches with two strikeouts. Unfortunately, any momentum was thwarted when Senga gave up two runs in the third, including one unearned thanks to a catcher’s interference error by Luis Torrens, followed by two more runs in the fourth and a Josh Bell solo homer in the fifth.

Senga started the sixth inning but was quickly pulled for Tyler Rogers after allowing a leadoff single. He has yet to complete six innings in seven starts since coming off the injured list. No Mets starter other than Peterson has lasted six innings since June 7, when Clay Holmes did it against the Colorado Rockies.

All told, Senga gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He generated 10 swings and misses on 40 attempts. He’s now 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 20 starts this season, but has a 6.39 ERA since coming off the injured list.

One small bright spot was that Senga attacked the strike zone, throwing 54 of his 84 pitches for strikes and allowing just the two walks, but that provided little solace to the Mets righty.

“That’s one way to look at it, but on the other side, I couldn’t finish those hitters off,” Senga said after the game. “There’s things to improve on”

Senga will need to make those improvements, and quickly, before the Mets’ season completely slips away.

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