Kodai Senga will aim to continue his hot start as the New York Mets go for their eighth straight win on Friday in the opener of a four-game road series against the Washington Nationals.
After sweeping a seven-game homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets will look to improve on their 6-6 road record.
The Nationals had won four of five before a taking a 2-1 loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.
Senga (3-1, 0.79 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Jake Irvin (2-0, 3.68 ERA) on Friday.
After allowing four runs (two earned) in his first start of the season on April 1, Senga has thrown 18 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, including the last inning of his initial outing.
Last time out, the right-hander fired 5 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed three hits in a 3-0 win over St. Louis on Saturday. He struck out four and walked two.
“I don’t really feel like my pitches are getting them out,” Senga said via an interpreter. “They’re making contact, and my fielders are doing a great job behind me. …
“I don’t think I’m quite there yet. The pitches that are actually coming out of my hand and what I’m imagining them to look like, there’s still a little bit of a difference.”
Senga is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two career starts against Washington, both outings occurring in 2023.
Irvin also is pitching well. The right-hander has allowed two runs over 13 1/3 innings while winning his past two starts. Against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, he gave up two runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine without a walk.
“That feels like my job,” Irvin said of pitching into the seventh. “My game is length. I try to get as deep as I can for these guys. On days where I know the bullpen might need it a little more, you dig a little bit deeper and see what you can do for the team.”
Irvin is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in four starts versus the Mets.
On Thursday, the Nationals had a chance to finish a three-game sweep of the Orioles, but they couldn’t solve Baltimore starter Cade Povich, who allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings.
“We’re just not hitting left-handed starters,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “That’s been the key.”
Washington shortstop CJ Abrams was back in the lineup after missing two weeks with a right hip flexor strain. He went 0-for-4.
The Mets had a day off after rallying for a walk-off win on Wednesday. New York trailed the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 entering the bottom of the 10th inning, but Pete Alonso doubled home the tying run, then scored on Starling Marte’s two-out single for a 4-3 victory.
There were numerous heroes for the Mets.
Francisco Lindor reached base three times to cap a homestand in which he hit four home runs. Right fielder Juan Soto threw out a runner at the plate in the eighth, preventing the go-ahead run from scoring.
“We’re playing a great brand of baseball right now,” Marte said through an interpreter. “Everybody’s focused. When you’re able to have an elite lineup the way that we have, we’re all doing the necessary things to win games.”
The Mets activated infielder Jeff McNeil from the injured list on Thursday and optioned infielder Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse. McNeil, who missed the Mets’ first 25 games with an oblique injury, appeared in eight rehab games across three levels of the minors and hit .393 with two homers and three RBIs.
New York also optioned catcher Hayden Senger to Syracuse, cleared a spot for the expected return of catcher Francisco Alvarez from the IL on Friday.
–Field Level Media
