Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Friday, May 5, 2023 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, New York
RHP Antonio Senzatela (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (3-1, 4.15)
SNY

The Mets need a win tonight in the worse way. They just got swept by the Tigers and now have lost nine of their last eleven games. The starting pitching has been off, the offense has gone missing. The bullpen has kept them in games, but using the bullpen so much is a ticking time bomb for a breakdown at some point.

Getting out of a rut in baseball starts with a hit, then a good inning, then a good game. The Mets will attempt to do all three of those things tonight as they welcome the Rockies into town.

Mets Lineup

Kodai Senga returns to the mound after an extended period of rest. In five starts and 26 innings this year he has a 4.15 ERA, 5.48 FIP, 1.577 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. He has a solid strikeout rate, striking out 11.1 batters per nine innings. The problem has been both control and batters taking a lot of balls. It resulted in a 1.78 K/BB ratio. After giving up four earned runs in back-to-back starts he only allowed two runs over five innings against the Nationals his last time out. Further, his last start against the Nationals was the first time in three starts that he didn’t allow any homers.

Opposing Lineup

The Rockies are sending out Antonio Senzatela tonight who is making his 2023 debut. He tore his ACL last August and has been on the injured list since. In 19 starts last season, he pitched 92 1/3 innings with a 5.07 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.690 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. His two minor league rehab starts have been quite different. On April 25th he allowed only one run from five hits over 3 1/3 innings. Then his last time out on the 30th he allowed nine runs, six earned, from eight hits in three innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

  • Eduardo Escobar 9-32, 3B, HR, 2 K
  • Tommy Pham 6-13, 2 2B, 2 BB
  • Starling Marte 7-11, 2B, HR
  • Francisco Lindor 2-11, HR, 3 K
  • Pete Alonso 4-9, 2B, K
  • Jeff McNeil 2-9, HR
  • Mark Canha 0-4, BB, 2 K
  • Brandon Nimmo 1-6, HR, 2 K
  • Daniel Vogelbach 0-6

Game Notes

Edwin Diaz received his NL Reliever of the Year award before the game.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. The vibes and the crowd. The Mets are coming off of a pretty terrible week. The vibes in the clubhouse are off right now because that’s what losing a bunch of games in a row does. Mets fans have been known to let the team hear it when they are disappointed with the level of play. It would be just great for everyone involved if the Mets can get some runs early and if Kodai Senga has a quality start. This is an opportunity for a vibe reset!
  2. Finding Nimmo. The Mets need their lead-off hitter to come back to form. In his last ten games he is 7-for-40 and hitting .175/.209/.250. However, the more unlike Nimmo part of this stretch is his 15 strikeouts (he only has 24 on the season!). He got a hit in the ninth yesterday which could have been the start of the rally, but then got caught stealing second.
  3. Tommy Pham: From April 17th to May 1st, Tommy Pham had 0 hits in 19 trips to the plate (he did have three walks though!). In his last two games, he is 4-for-7 with a double and a homer. If the Mets are looking to shake up the roster in the next couple of weeks, Pham’s spot is not guaranteed. The last two games are only the third time this season that Pham has recorded hits in back-to-back games. Let’s see if this is the start of something!

Let’s go Mets!