The New York Mets (17-19, 15-21 RL, 16-18-2 O/U) take on the Cincinnati Reds (15-20, 20-15 RL, 19-16 O/U) in the last of a four-game NL series on Thursday afternoon. The Mets will give the starting nod to Kodai Senga. The Reds will reply with Ben Lively. The Reds posted a 7-6 win on Tuesday.
Kodai Senga will take the mound in the last game of the series. Senga posted his best outing of the season last time out, completing six shutout innings against the Rockies and earned another win. The rookie out of Japan has found a groove, conceding only two runs in his last two starts. He is having some issues with command, issuing 22 walks, and has a 3.38 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP accompanied by a 4-1 record in 32 innings pitched on the season.
New York is in need of series wins if they want to stay in contention in the NL East. They have the highest team salary in the big leagues and are struggling to get to .500. The Mets have dropped four consecutive series including a sweep by the Tigers and a series loss at Citi Field against the Rockies this past weekend.
Good evening, everyo ne pic.twitter.com/hQKYt8QYkN
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 10, 2023
Pete Alonso is one of many Mets that have not been nearly as dangerous recently. The 28-year-old slugger only has two homers and five RBIs this month. Alonso has 12 bombs along with 30 RBIs and an .848 OPS on the season. He only had one RBI and a .770 OPS against the Reds last season and is 1 for 3 with a homer in this series.
The Mets are posting an average of 4.33 runs per game, ranking them 18th. The pitching staff has recorded a 4.82 team ERA, placing them 23rd.