Mets waste another strong Kodai Senga outing in loss to Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — Even on days he isn’t at his sharpest, Kodai Senga has largely succeeded this season in keeping the Mets in games.
Friday night fell into the “not-so-sharp” category, but after six innings the Japanese right-hander had allowed only two runs and the game was tied.
That wasn’t enough to help the Mets win.
For a second straight game, the Mets’ bats were quiet and the bullpen was non-compliant, in a 5-2 loss to the Twins at Target Field.
Sean Reid-Foley surrendered three earned runs in a disastrous seventh inning for the Mets, who fell 12 games below .500.
Senga allowed four hits and four walks with five strikeouts and departed after 101 pitches.
It was the sixth straight start in which he pitched at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer.
His ERA, which ranked sixth in MLB to begin the day, dropped from 3.08 to 3.07.
“Just because I don’t feel good or feel my best doesn’t mean I just fold and give up the game,” Senga said through his interpreter. “I am given four or five days to prepare for this game, and I think it’s my job to stay out there and make the game winnable, and I take pride in that.”
But the Twins seized the game against Reid-Foley, who surrendered two hits and a walk in the seventh inning before he was removed with two runs already across.
Grant Hartwig entered and allowed two additional hits, bringing in another run, which also was charged to Reid-Foley.
Royce Lewis delivered an RBI double in the first that put the Mets in a 1-0 hole. Senga walked two batters in the inning, including Jorge Polanco to begin the rally, but escaped having allowed just the one run.
Francisco Lindor’s two-run double gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Francisco Alvarez walked leading off the inning and Pete Alonso doubled him to third before Lindor delivered the double, giving him 85 RBIs for the season. Jeff McNeil walked with one out to keep the rally alive, but Ronny Mauricio hit into an inning-ending double play.
Carlos Correa homered leading off the fourth to tie it 2-2.
The blast may have provided a measure of revenge for the underachieving shortstop, who had agreed to terms with the Mets last winter on a 12-year contract worth $315 million, only to have the deal nixed over concerns about his right ankle.
Correa, who has a disappointing .718 OPS, instead received a six-year contract worth $200 million for a return to the Twins. Correa’s blast left the bat at 114 mph — his hardest-hit ball of the season.
Senga received a boost from Tim Locastro in the inning when the Mets left fielder fully extended for a diving catch on Christian Vazquez’s sinking line drive.
That saved a run after Alex Kirilloff had singled.
“You could tell [Senga] didn’t have a good feel for command, but he found a way to keep us engaged,” manager Buck Showalter said. “A lot of guys would not have gotten through six innings, so I was proud of him.”
