“Kodai Senga starts NLDS game one for Mets”

The Mets face the Phillies in the National League Division Series. The first game is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters today that he is a right-hander Kodai Senga will start the first game for the Mets. Mike Puma of the New York Post was one of those who broke the news on X.

The Mets received next to nothing from Senga this year. In spring training, he suffered a strained capsule in his throwing shoulder that kept him on the injured list for months. He was again activated from the injured list and made his season debut on July 26, but was removed from the game after 5 1/3 innings due to a calf strain and returned directly to the IL. He attempted to return late in the regular season but was slowed by triceps soreness.

This lack of production from Senga was a blow to the Mets. He made his major league debut in 2023 and pitched 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 earned run average. His walk rate of 11.1% was quite high, but he struck out 29.1% of the batters he faced and grounders at a rate of 44.7%. Still, the Mets managed to make it to the postseason and then beat the Brewers in the Wild Card Series while Senga remained on the IL.

Yesterday, Will Sammon of the Athletic reported that the Mets are considering Senga for their NLDS roster. Now it looks like the right-hander will not only get a spot on the roster but also take over the ball to get the series going.

The question will be what the Mets can expect from Senga after such a long layoff. According to Sammon’s report, he recently threw a 25-pitch bullpen session, but will likely be limited to a short outing, so Senga may be more of an opener than a true starter in the traditional sense. “We’ll see,” Mendoza said today when asked how long Senga can last, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo on X. “We’ll let it play out.”

The Mets have had to get creative with their pitching staff lately. Two of their games against Atlanta in the final week of the regular season were delayed by Hurricane Helene. While 28 of the league’s 30 clubs had the day off on Monday, those two clubs were forced to play a doubleheader as each needed one more win to advance to the playoffs. The Mets won the first game in a thriller 8-7 Tylor Megill as a starter and then four substitutes, including closer Edwin Diaz He struck out 40 pitchers while getting the final five outs.

With their playoff spot secured, they took advantage Joey Lucchesi and two relievers to get through the second game of the Twin Bill, but then they had to start their series the very next day in Milwaukee. Luis Severino the first game began, Sean Manaea the second and Jose Quintana the third. To get through last night’s game, Díaz threw another 39 pitches and again had five outs and a starter David Peterson also threw one inning of relief.

None of the club’s front three, Severino, Manaea or Quintana, would be regularly rested for Saturday’s first game against Philadelphia. Megill would be an option for some big innings, but he was left off the Wild Card roster because he wouldn’t be available for those contests. If they want to add both Senga and Megill, the Mets would have to clear two spots by leaving out a few players who were present in the Wild Card round. Peterson could potentially be another option for bulk innings, as he threw seven innings as recently as September 29th.

The full squad decisions do not have to be announced publicly until Saturday morning. Senga is on the 60-day IL and must be reinstated to the 40-man roster, but the Mets could easily clear a spot through a trade Paul Blackburn or Dedniel Nunez on the 60 day IL. The Phillies have announced this Zack Wheeler starts game one, followed by Cristopher Sanchez in the second game.