PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies saw a ghost and, if things break just so, might just see him again.
Kodai Senga pitched a fascinating two innings in which he allowed one loud run but otherwise looked like himself during Saturday’s 6-2 win to begin the NLDS against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
The question will become whether Senga will continue to be stretched out — in games with an eye-popping magnitude — on the fly.
After throwing 31 mostly effective pitches in a return from a calf strain in July and triceps soreness that popped up on Sept. 21, Senga has emerged as an enticing possibility for the Mets.
They used Senga as a two-frame opener to get the ball to David Peterson, Reed Garrett, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek to finish off a well-pitched victory.
“This puts me in a spot where I might potentially be ready for a game in the future,” Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara.
Could he pitch again in this series — perhaps on his customary five days rest on Friday, when a potential Game 5 would arise?
“If they call on me, I just prepare to pitch that day,” Senga said, deferring to the Mets, who sounded impressed.
Senga bounced back from an ominous beginning, serving up a leadoff bomb to Kyle Schwarber on his third pitch of the game.
The Phillies slugger demolished the middle-of-the-plate fastball halfway up the second deck in right to set off a party among the sold-out crowd.
“It was a regretful pitch. I wish I could take it back,” said Senga, who had no such regrets about the other 30 he threw.
He used the ghost forkball to strike out Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto. A sharp slider was used to get Nick Castellanos swinging.
The Schwarber bomb became the only hit Senga allowed in an outing in which he walked one. His velocity was slightly down, but he touched 97 mph with his fastball.
“He was really good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The fact that we saw 97 [mph] out of him, and then just the secondary pitches. His split was really good, the slider was good.”
The Mets are turning to Luis Severino for Game 2. The best bet would be Sean Manaea for Game 3 and, if necessary, Jose Quintana for Game 4.
Maybe they would pivot to Peterson, who went three scoreless innings in relief, for a theoretical Game 5.
Maybe Tylor Megill would be dusted off.
Or maybe Senga could be up to 45-50 pitches and try for three or four innings in what would be just this third start of an injury-plagued year.
“He’s a huge part of us,” Jose Iglesias said. “We’re going to need him.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
