Senga’s Game 1 Woes Complicates Bullpen Plans

It was a tough night for the Mets, particularly for Kodai Senga, who failed to deliver the performance they were hoping for. Rather than giving three solid innings, Senga allowed three runs in just 1 1/3 innings, leading to a 9-0 loss in Game 1 of the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night.

Senga struggled from the start, unable to find the strike zone, leaving the Mets trailing 2-0 in the first inning and 3-0 once pulled. Of his 30 pitches, only 10 were strikes, his velocity maxed out at 94.5 mph, and he failed to induce any swings and misses. His signature forkball, thrown four times, was ineffective each time.

After the game, Senga noted that his mechanics felt off before his start today, which led to a dip in his velocity and lack of command of the strike zone. For reference, his fastest pitch in Game 1 of the NLDS on October 5 was 97 mph, and his fastest pitch in Game 1 of the NLCS eight days later was 94.5 mph, as noted above. Regarding command, nine of Senga’s31 pitches were in the strike zone, and batters swung at 13 pitches in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Dodgers saw 30 pitches from Senga, and hitters swung at only seven, taking 23.

The decision to start Senga came with risks, given his limited buildup after missing time with a calf strain late in the regular season. He pitched just two innings in Game 1 of the NLDS, where he gave up a leadoff home run to Kyle Schwarber but recovered as the Mets came back to win. However, this time, things quickly spiraled from bad to worse, marking the first time this postseason the Mets were completely outmatched.

While the Mets haven’t officially set their rotation beyond Sean Manaea for Game 2, the plan is for Luis Severino to start Game 3, Jose Quintana in Game 4, and potentially bring Senga back for Game 5. However, after such a rough outing, Senga’s status for a Game 5 start is now uncertain.

The bullpen plan also faltered, as the Mets were forced to use David Peterson, Reed Garrett, and Jose Butto earlier than expected. Garrett managed a scoreless outing, but Peterson was shaken in the fourth inning, allowing three earned runs to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 6-0. Butto loaded the bases in the eighth before Mookie Betts delivered a three-run double. One of those runs was unearned after Pete Alonso’s throwing error.

Originally, the Mets had hoped Senga would last three innings, with Tylor Megill or Peterson bridging the gap to the back-end relievers. With Peterson and Butto pitching multiple innings and struggling, the team must reconsider its bullpen strategy. They’ll have to rely more on Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Megill, and possibly Edwin Diaz. They may even reconsider using Peterson in Game 5 as a starter to replace Senga. This comes after the team left reliever Adam Ottavino off the roster in favor of Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuna.

With an off day looming on Tuesday, Game 2 becomes pivotal for the rotation and bullpen. The Mets will count on Sean Manaea to go deep into his start, allowing the bullpen some rest and flexibility for the rest of the series. Their challenge is managing their bullpen effectively without overworking key arms as the series progresses. A well-managed bullpen got the Mets their wins against Milwaukee and Philadelphia, and that still holds true here against a tougher opponent in a longer series.

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