Kodai Senga and two relievers combined on a two-hit shutout, leading the Mets to a 2-0 win over the Phillies Tuesday night at Citi Field.
Senga pitched his best game of the year, throwing seven shutout innings. The key was that he threw strikes. He did not walk a batter and struck out nine. This was the 14th time a Mets starting pitcher completed six innings and the Mets are perfect when that happens, sporting a 14-0 record.
The key inning was the fourth. In the top of the inning, Nick Castellanos drove a ball deep that Brandon Nimmo reached over the fence to rob a homer. And in the bottom of the inning, Francisco Lindor homered for the first run of the game.
The Mets added an insurance run in the seventh inning, with Eduardo Escobar driving home a run with a seeing-eye single. The Mets almost had a big inning, as with two runners on, Nimmo smacked one into the gap. But Castellanos returned the favor, robbing Nimmo of an extra-base hit and two RBIs.
Buck Showalter removed Senga after seven innings and 100 pitches. Adam Ottavino came on and immediately issued a 4-pitch walk. Ottavino is not very good holding on runners and the Phillies tried to make him play. But Francisco Alvarez made a throw from crouching position and Jeff McNeil made an acrobat play to apply the tag. Ruled safe by the umpire, the call was overturned by review.
David Robertson gave up a hit in the ninth inning but got a double play to end the game and pick up his ninth save of the year.
Not sure when Nimmo became a pretty darn good CF but he is. So even when he takes an o-fer, he contributes so much. Bravo to Senga for showing us why they brought him to Citi. Let’s hope he builds on that. Vientos was 1 for 3 and I was disappointed for him to get pinch hit for regardless of the lefty righty matchup. Lindor is so effective hitting at .227, can you imagine if he were hitting .280?
Cookie tomorrow to go for a series win, with Max as a backup plan. Game was played in 2:20 and I’m starting to come around to quicker games even if I don’t agree with all the changes that got us there.
I thought Buck should have let Vientos hit in that spot. I would have been all for going for the platoon advantage if they were tied or losing. But with the lead already, it would have been a good time to show faith in the rookie.
As for Nimmo, he put a lot of work in his defense following the 2020 season. He started playing deeper in 2021, too.
I thought Vientos should have batted also. I liked Escobar hitting in the 7th inning also and not being pinch hit for like earlier this year. Escobar should be getting more at bats and playing time. He has earned it. Senga and his ghost, along with Ottavino and Robertson, made the Phillies a figment of our imaginations.
How does the umpire miss that call on Realmuto. Replay showed Hh was out by over a foot. Great tidy game. Nimmo should be the starting CF in the all star game. How in the world does he have -3 DRS? Alvarez and Senga may end up battling it out for ROY.
Can anyone give me a link to a video of Realmuto being tagged out by McNeil?
This is from SNY’s Facebook page. Not sure if you need to have FB to watch it or not
https://fb.watch/kSZcqQDiO_/
Thank you, Brian. The tag was a thing of beauty and Alvarez’s throw was beautiful as well.
Tremendous job by Senga and the pen. Big defensive plays. 2:20 minutes. Good watch despite minimal offense. Very nice win.
Tiny sample size but Senga now has a 1.54 ERA against NL east teams and 4.78 vs everyone else.
Tim Britton noted today in The Athletic that Senga’s best games come against the teams with the highest chase rate. He’s had six games against teams that are in the top 10 in chase rate. Here they are:
Miami (9) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER
Miami (9) – 6 IP, 1 ER
Washington (6) – 5 IP, 2 ER
Colorado (5) – 6 IP, 0 ER
Tampa Bay (8) – 6 IP, 1 ER
Philadelphia (2) – 7 IP, 0 ER
That’s 35.1 IP and 5 ER for a 1.27 ERA. There’s significant overlap with NL East clubs here but it seems that a team’s hitting style is more likely to be the answer rather than its geography.
Terrific summary!
Now that’s the Senga we hoped the Mets were getting! Two great pitches and a cutter!
Alvarez already has 1.2 WAR! So much for being a weak defensive catcher!