BOSTON — The Mets and the Boston Red Sox managed to play just over three innings Friday night before thunderstorms rolled into Boston and the game was suspended. Fans sat through a nearly two-hour delay at Fenway Park before the decision was made to restart the series opener Saturday at 2:10 pm, as part of a split-doubleheader. The second game of the series was moved from 4 pm to 7 pm
The game will resume with the visitors leading 4-3. It’s not a devastating blow for the Mets, but it’s far from ideal.
They had to burn Kodai Senga, one of their most reliable starters, and will now look to a leaky bullpen to get them over the finish line. The Mets’ season isn’t over yet, but it’s on life support and time is running out with the Aug. 1 trade deadline fast approaching. The team started the day 6.5 away from an NL Wild Card spot.
Senga started the game and pitched well, allowing three earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three in his first career start at Fenway Park. Senga stayed warm during the delay by tossing off a portable mound but the Mets eventually told the right-hander to end his night.
“We let him do it one time and then when it got to about the 50-minute mark we shut him down,” said manager Buck Showalter.
The Mets have not announced a pitcher for the resumption of the game. However, they do have left-hander David Peterson in the bullpen. Peterson can go long since he’s stretched out to start.
General manager Billy Eppler, who is with the team in Boston, called Triple-A Syracuse to have them hold a few pitchers out of the game to be able to use one as the 27th man Saturday. The Mets can only have an extra arm for the nightcap since they have to play the conclusion of the first game with the same roster. James Paxton and Max Scherzer are still slated to start Game 2.
The dimensions of Fenway Park are difficult for a lot of pitchers, but the Mets wanted to see how Senga specifically handled them. The Red Sox capitalized in the first and second innings, scoring in the first and then putting up two more runs in the second. Senga missed with a high fastball and Yu Chang doubled off the Green Monster to put the Red Sox up 3-0.
“It’s something I look into, but at the end of the day, it is what it is — I’m pitching where I’m pitching,” Senga said through translator Hiro Fujiwara. “Today, I missed my location and that’s what it boils down to. It’s making sure I don’t make mistakes. If they hit the pitch I want to make and get a hit, then props to them. But today, I missed so it was on me.”
Brandon Nimmo and Daniel Vogelbach each homered to put the Mets up 4-3. Showalter tried to test their baseball knowledge by telling them home runs don’t count in suspended games.
“I was kidding them inside, I said it’s too bad with that new rule that offensive stats don’t count and you’ve got to start over,” Showalter said. “I got them for a second.”