A huge mark of good pitchers is what they do when they don’t have their good stuff. The start that comes to my mind whenever I think of that is Jacob deGrom in Game 5 against the Dodgers in 2015. He wasn’t dominant like he was in Game 1, but he gave the team a chance to win in a do-or-die game.
If tonight was any indication, then I can’t wait to see Kodai Senga in a do-or-die game. He didn’t really have a feel for that ghost fork. If he did, he would have dominated the Twins, who came into the game hitting .203 against off speed pitches. Instead, it was a slog for Senga. He threw 27 pitches in the first inning while giving up a run, and the start could have gone downhill fast.
But outside of a home run by Mets legend Carlos Correa in the 4th, he somehow held the Twins in check the rest of the way without that nasty ghost fork. He used it as a decoy. He used his fastball more. He got a huge double play in the 5th inning, and then he gave the Mets one more inning after that to somehow give the Mets a six inning, two run start without the very pitch that has its own logo.
When the story of his season is all said and done, he’s going to strikeout 200 hitters without getting near 200 innings. Opponents are hitting .209 off him. Tonight was the first time he gave up over three walks in a game since June 10th … almost three months. In that span, Senga’s opponents’ OPS is .599. This is an absolute restaurant quality season. He’s the ace of the staff, and that would have been true even if Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander somehow stayed with the team. To do all of that in his first year playing in MLB in a new country is impressive as hell.
Kodai has learned. Too bad the rest of the team hasn’t learned to not lay starts like this to waste.
We, uh, … well, just watch. pic.twitter.com/NoYKQZf6Ou
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 9, 2023
Two chances to get the same runner out. Two disasters. Or for you kids out there, two F’s and an S.
Speaking of learning, this was the second time that the four “Baby Mets” were in the lineup at the same time. The second verse did not go the same as the first, as all four were hitless on the night. (The rest of the team was no great shakes either, besides Francisco Lindor who drove in both Mets runs.) But a guy like Dallas Keuchel, even if he’s near the end and not what he was in 2015, is going to do that to young players. While they had a bad night, facing a soft tosser like that is good learnin’ for the babies. So while it wasn’t successful on the scoresheet, it’ll pay dividends down the road.
Today’s Hate List
- Vikings legend Brett Favre
- Vikings legend Brett Favre
- Vikings legend Brett Favre
- Vikings legend Brett Favre
- Vikings legend Brett Favre
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
