☀️ Good Morning:
Kodai Senga is not a vintage Doc Gooden.
This isn’t the mid eighties. We aren’t witnessing one of the most dominant pitchers the game has ever seen.
But we are watching something pretty damn good for modern standards.
After holding the Pirates to just one earned run on Tuesday, Senga has extended his streak to 16 starts in which he has allowed two earned runs or less, breaking the franchise mark set by Mr. Dwight Gooden from August 1985 – May 1986.
It is the longest active streak in the majors.
And it explains why Senga’s ERA actually went up (!) to 1.22 after allowing a lone run.
The Mets lost two starters before winter broke in the northeast. The rotation was a question mark entering the season. It has somehow turned into the best rotation in baseball, led by the Japanese right-hander who cost a whole lot less than one he might be competing against for the NL Cy Young Award.
Carlos Mendoza’s bunch flirted with disaster for two nights against the lowly Pirates, looking sloppy in the field, daring them to take advantage. Pittsburgh responded, as only they could, by hitting a pathetic 1-for-21 with runners in scoring position.
While the Amazins found timely hitting to take the first two games of this series and improve their glasses-adjusting home record to 17–4 on the season, the best home start since this lovable franchise was born in Queens.
The Mets wake up this morning tied with the Tigers for the best record in baseball.
☕️ Grab your coffee for your morning dose of Mets Fix!
⌚️ Baty Time
Injuries are unavoidable. Nobody roots for them, but their inevitable nature leads to new opportunities. And that’s how Brett Baty found his way back on the Mets’ roster, and it could be how Brett Baty ends up staying on the Mets’ roster.
Finding new life after Jesse Winker was placed on the injured list, Baty has made the most of it. And so has Carlos Mendoza, who has been given an extra spot in the lineup to find everybody at-bats.
On Tuesday, Mendoza decided to stack the order with lefties against the righty Mitch Keller, who has allowed a .314 batting average against left-handed hitters this season. Baty got the call at second base over Luisangel Acuña, while Jeff McNeil took on DH duties.
Baty made his manager look smart, singling in the fifth and delivering what proved to be the game-winning homer in the seventh.
Baty has four home runs since being recalled, and make it five over his last seven games if you include the last game before he was demoted. Connecting the two stints, he is batting .318 with a .750 slugging percentage over his last 15 games.
❓ WHAT CHANGED? “The past couple days I’ve challenged myself in the cages and that’s translated on the field,” Baty said. “I make it harder in the cage so I can go out and have the best approach.”
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