Back from the All-Star Game, Kodai Senga takes the hill at Citi Field as the Mets look to bounce back from a lackluster opening to the second half of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night at 7:15 pm on Fox.
Mets Notes
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Francisco Lindor went hitless Friday but is batting .321 with three doubles, two triples and seven home runs and 16 RBI and a 1.082 OPS in his last 21 games
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New York has swiped 71 bags on 78 attempts, the team’s 91 percent success rate is the best in the big leagues
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The Mets will play their 41st home game of the year Saturday. They are 20-20 at Citi Field and have posted a 3.96 ERA and slash line of .226/.303/.395 for a .698 OPS
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Pete Alonso has seven career dingers against the Dodgers, but all were in LA. He enters Saturday in an 0-for-15 skid. Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Starling Marte are all looking to snap 0-for-7 skids
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Brooks Raley has allowed just two earned runs over 20.0 innings since coming off the IL on May 14 and his 17 holds are the fifth-most in MLB
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METS |
DODGERS |
|---|---|
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Brandon Nimmo, CF |
Mookie Betts, 2B |
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Francisco Lindor, SS |
Freddie Freeman, 1B |
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Jeff McNeil, LF |
Will Smith, C |
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Pete Alonso, 1B |
Max Muncy, 3B |
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Daniel Vogelbach, DH |
JD Martinez, DH |
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Francisco Alvarez, C |
David Peralta, LF |
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DJ Stewart, RF |
Jason Heyward, RF |
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Brett Baty, 3B |
James Outman, CF |
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Luis Guillorme, 2B |
Miguel Rojas, SS |
Who is starting for the Mets?
Back from Seattle and the All-Star game, Senga makes his first start in over a week. The rookie right-hander is coming off the best outing in his inaugural season in America in which he recorded 12 strikeouts and allowed just one run on four hits over eight innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Senga, who did not pitch in the ASG, enters Saturday’s start with a 3.31 ERA (3.85 FIP) and 1.283 WHIP over 89.2 innings in 16 starts. He has been tagged for 37 runs (33 earned) on 68 hits while striking out 113 batters and walking 47.
So far in 2023, the “ghost fork” from Senga has accounted for 60 of his 113 Ks and the spooky pitch has a 59.6 percent whiff rate. Opponents are batting .126 against it.
Who is starting for the Dodgers?
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin gets the start for the visitors, his 14th on the campaign.
The 29-year-old Californian is coming off a run of four poor outings in which he has allowed at least four runs. He’s allowed 19 runs on 24 hits over his last 21.0 innings pitched and Los Angeles is 1-3 in those games.
Gonsolin, an All-Star a season ago when he finished 2022 with a 2.14 ERA over 130.1 innings, carries a 3.86 ERA (4.64 FIP) and 1.123 WHIP over 67.2 innings into the second half of the 2023 season. He has allowed 33 runs (29 earned) on 50 hits with 54 strikeouts and 26 walks.
Upcoming schedule
The Mets wrap up their opening series of the second stanza of the season with a Sunday matinee with first pitch at 1:40 pm on PIX11.
New York will send a veteran right-hander Max Scherzer (8-3, 4.31 ERA) out to face Los Angeles right-hander Bobby Miller (5-1, 4.50 ERA).