Kodai Senga has delivered two encouraging relief appearances in a row, bolstering the New York Mets' confidence in the right-hander.
Senga is slated to pitch again on Tuesday, likely in a bulk relief role against the Kansas City Royals. He has performed respectably in relief since being removed from the starting rotation.
“The forkball has been really good for him and he’s attacked hitters and we’re encouraged,” interim manager Andy Green said. “I realize there’s been a couple of home runs, but he’s been great.”
In a relief outing against the Atlanta Braves on Friday, Senga allowed one earned run over 2 ⅔ innings. This followed a five-inning relief appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies where he gave up two earned runs.
Senga's ERA for the season currently stands at 8.66. Green expressed optimism about Senga's potential, stating, “He’s got an unbelievable pedigree, being one of the better starters in major league baseball. I would love to see him to continue to move back to being great.”
In other team news, Ronny Mauricio started at shortstop, allowing Francisco Lindor to serve as designated hitter. Mauricio began the day with a .435 OPS in 16 games and recorded one hit in four at-bats on Monday.
“He can do a ton of damage when he gets a pitch that he can drive,” Green commented on Mauricio. “I would love to see him get into a baseball or two.”
Bo Bichette entered Monday's game with a .689 OPS overall but had been performing well over his previous 29 games, dating back to June 3. During that stretch, he posted a .350/.373/.564 slash line with five home runs and 22 RBIs, ranking third in the major leagues with 41 hits. Bichette went 2-for-5 on Monday.
“He’s been a perennial All-Star type player, and you expect that over the course of a season, those guys tend to find their way,” Green said regarding Bichette. “I know he personally would have loved to find it the first week of the season, but baseball is not always like that.”