Kodai Senga had a chance to prove he belongs in the rotation, but the fifth inning ruined it all. The Mets lost 5-2 to the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. This was a wasted opportunity right before the trade deadline. Senga looked sharp for four innings, giving up only one hit and no walks. Then he gave up three runs and his night ended. The team needs wins, not shaky starts from a pitcher with a big contract.
The Start That Felt Good
It started with a surprise change in the rotation. Freddy Peralta was scratched because of trade interest, according to reports. That left Senga to take the mound against Janson Junk. Senga hadn’t started a game in over a month. His stats from the past year have been rough, with an 8.85 ERA. But for the first four innings, he looked like the ace from his 2023 season. He kept the Marlins off the board and seemed to have something left in the tank.
The problem was the timing. The Mets are looking for trades. They need a starter to go deep into games so the bullpen doesn’t have to work overtime. Senga was doing exactly that until the fifth inning. He was on track to show he could be a piece of the puzzle. Instead, the game fell apart in a hurry. He had pitched 22 1/3 scoreless innings in his last three outings before this collapse (a streak that dated back to May 20). Can you really trust a pitcher who fades when the pressure mounts? Not when the deadline is days away.
The Fifth Inning Disaster
The trouble began with back-to-back walks to start the inning. Then Jakob Marsee hit a double to score the first run. Senga was pulled for Xzavion Curry, but the damage was done. Two more singles brought in runs, and Miami took a 4-0 lead. Senga was charged with three of those runs. Amazin’ Avenue reported that the righty was tired by the end of his outing (he threw 68 pitches in just 4.1 innings). That’s a fair read, but fatigue is no excuse for giving up three runs in one frame.
Curry couldn’t stop the bleeding either. He gave up a home run to Kyle Stowers the next inning. The Mets offense tried to rally. A.J. Ewing hit an RBI single, and Francisco Lindor hit a solo shot in the seventh. But it was too little, too late. The team couldn’t capitalize on chances. Luis Robert Jr. struck out with runners on base and grounded into a double play. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. As the source noted, that’s just life in baseball sometimes. (Luis Robert Jr. has now struck out 42 times this season, the most on the team).
What This Means for the Roster
The loss evened the series against Miami, but the bigger story is the roster moves. The team recalled Xzavion Curry and Jonathan Pintaro from Triple-A Syracuse. They also placed Cionel Pérez on the 15-day IL with a forearm strain. These moves show the team is in full swing mode. They are trying to get healthy and get ready for the next phase of the season. Why recall Curry now if you don’t need a spot starter immediately? The front office is clearly hedging their bets.
Senga enters the fifth year of his contract next season. He needs to show he can pitch like a starter. This game showed flashes of that ability, but the fifth inning was a major step backward. The Mets can’t afford to lose games like this when they are trying to make a push. The fans want to see consistency, not one good inning followed by a meltdown. Senga’s contract runs through 2028 with a club option for 2029, making his performance this summer critical for the franchise’s long-term planning.
