Win over the Braves is overshadowed by what could be a season-ending injury.
Friday night should have been a celebration at Citi Field. The Mets had won five in a row and their second straight against the hated Atlanta Braves. They hold the top wild-card spot on a 33-16 stretch after trailing the Braves by 10 ½ games in June.
The home team had a seven-run third inning, including three home runs from J.D. Martinez (grand slam), Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez, to set the stage for an 8-4 victory. The type of moment that had you say OMG! It made you wonder if this team has that ‘86 Mets magic vibe where everything is going their way to the point this could be the year.
Kodai Senga debuted his season after a shoulder injury in February delayed it. He shined by allowing two hits and two runs and striking out nine in 5 ⅓ innings. His only blemish was giving Adam Duvall a two-run home run in the second inning.
Then, calamity came. Of course, it happened. After all, this is Mets’ life, where everything goes wrong when you least expect it. When Austin Riley hit an infield popup that Pete Alonso caught, Senga tumbled to the ground, running to first and withered in pain by grabbing his left calf. It was the image that had fans say OMG! The Citi Field crowd went quiet for the rest of the game, as he left the game out of precaution.
This overshadowed everything the Mets did on this night. Fans wanted to know if his injury was serious enough to be season-defining, as in, season over for him. It invoked memories of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers going down after four snaps against the Buffalo Bills on the Jets’ first game. He was out for the season with an Achilles injury, and the Jets never recovered from it, as they finished 7-10 on Zach Wilson’s incompetent quarterback play. Who could not forget the MetLife Stadium crowd having a funeral atmosphere that Monday night?
Senga’s injury does not have to doom the Mets here. They are equipped to make the playoffs, even if he is out for the season, since they have a loaded lineup and depth in the starting rotation. We don’t know if he is out for the season, as we did with Rodgers when he got hurt after four snaps. The Mets starter left the game on his power by walking to the dugout.
The best scenario is that Senga had cramps after falling. The Mets will find out when he undergoes an MRI on Saturday. That would be being optimistic. The way he held his calf makes you think it could be worse. The worst-case scenario would be an Achilles injury. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that may not be the case, but he mentioned his starter will miss time.
No matter how you slice it, it hurts. Senga’s injury is not just a luxury here. It’s a necessity in the sense he can be a difference-maker in the postseason. He can be the type of starter to take the Mets to the World Series. With how he pitched on Friday night, it’s easy to imagine what he can do in October.
Senga was dealing. It was like he picked up where he left off last summer when he posted a 2.98 ERA with 202 strikeouts that had him finish second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. His fastball, forkball, and slider were working at 98 mph. He struck out hitters with his signature forkball, ending five straight innings by striking out a hitter. He didn’t give up a hit again after giving up a two-run home run to Duvall.
Of all the starters with the best stuff in the Mets rotation, Senga is the best. The rest of the starters rely on pitch-to-contact and groundouts to get outs. So, you can understand why his injury is such a big deal. This isn’t like Christian Scott missing time with a UCL sprain since he wasn’t going to be much of a factor this season with his pitch count limit.
Now, we all wait to hear the news about Senga’s MRI. No one is getting their hopes up. Typically, it does not end well when someone gets hurt during the game.
This is why, for all the good things the Mets did last night, Senga’s injury made all of this moot. Only with the Mets can this happen.
