Saturday, April 11, 2026 • 4:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Jacob Lopez (0-1, 6.48) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (0-1, 3.09)
SNY

Oof.

That’s all I could think of looking at last night’s box score. The Mets’ pitching was able to keep the game close (1-0) most of the game but the offense struggled to get anything going. Ultimately, the Athletics beat the Mets 4-0 to take the series opener.

We have seen the Mets get into collective slumps like this before. We’ve seen the 2026 Mets get into a slump like this in the first week of the season! We have also seen the 2026 Mets find their bats, especially during last weekend’s four-game winning streak. Can they bring that magic home?

Kodai Senga (34) Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. Francisco Lindor – SS
  2. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
  3. Jorge Polanco – DH
  4. Bo Bichette – 3B
  5. Mark Vientos – 1B
  6. Francisco Alvarez – C
  7. Carson Benge – LF
  8. Marcus Semien – 2B
  9. Tyrone Taylor – RF

Starting Pitcher: Kodai Senga

Kodai Senga has allowed four runs on nine hits and five walks this season while striking out 16 batters in 11 2/3 innings. Obviously, a small sample size, but his 12.3 K/9 is quite a bit higher than his career 10.2 rate. One of Senga’s best starts last season was against the Athletics, holding them scoreless over seven innings. The Athletics have the following career numbers against him:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Lawrence Butler – RF
  2. Nick Kurtz – 1B
  3. Shea Langeliers – C
  4. Tyler Soderstrom – LF
  5. Jacob Wilson – SS
  6. Jeff McNeil – 2B
  7. Max Muncy – 3B
  8. Carlos Cortes – DH
  9. Denzel Clarke – CF

In two starts this season, Jacob Lopez has allowed six runs from nine hits and 10 walks over 8 1/3 innings. He has allowed exactly three runs and five walks in each start this season. Last season he pitched 92 2/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.273 WHIP, and a 106 ERA+. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

  • Brett Baty 0-1, K
  • Bo Bichette 2-7, 2 2B, K
  • Francisco Lindor 0-1
  • Jorge Polanco 1-1, BB
  • Marcus Semien 2-4, 2 BB, K

Game Notes

  • The Mets DFA’d Richard Lovelady to make room for Craig Kimbrel on the 26-man roster. Kimbrel was in St. Lucie and pitched a scoreless inning down in Low-A. Lovelady had a 3.68 ERA in 7 1/3 innings.
  • The Mets were shut out for the third time in their first 14 games Friday. The offense hasn’t scored a run in 17 consecutive innings and have scored three runs in their last three games. The team OPS ranks 20th in baseball.
  • Clay Holmes woke up Saturday and felt better, according to Carlos Mendoza. The righty was pulled Friday with a left hamstring injury. He’ll throw a bullpen and if he feels okay, Holmes will make his next start.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Mets Bats. The Mets’ bats have not scored a run in 17 innings. According to DiComo, they have gone 38 consecutive innings without scoring more than one run. It’s really hard to win ballgames if you aren’t scoring. The longer streak of no multi-run innings confirms what we are feeling – the Mets are squandering chances with RISP. Jacob Lopez has struggled with his location so far this season. Don’t give him free strikes, work the count, get on base, and get a big inning.
  2. Carson Benge. Benge’s numbers are odd this season. He has a .125 BA, .222 OBP, and 31 wRC+. His xBA is an ice cold .168. But his BABIP is .153, he has a Hard-hit% in the 40’s (64th percentile), and he’s hitting the launch angle sweet-spot 40% of the time (81st percentile). He had a scorching groundout yesterday with a .620 xBA. On Wednesday, he had a lineout with an xBA of .660. It feels like we are on the precipice of things falling into place for Benge.
  3. Power Outage. The Mets and the Athletics enter play today tied for 22nd in the league with 10 home runs on the season. This is a massive departure for both teams from last year. The Mets had 224 home runs, good for 5th in the league, and the Athletics had 219, or 7th in the league. The Mets are without their best hitter, lost one of their best power hitters in free agency, and Lindor hasn’t found his stride yet. On the Athletics, Shea Langeliers is tied for the league lead with five home runs, the rest of the team has the other five.

Let’s go Mets!