Kodai Senga put the Mets in an immediate hole in Thursday's series finale against the lowly Reds, and finished with a line of five earned runs on eight hits over five innings of work.
The rough outing, arguably the worst of his young Mets career, raised Senga's season ERA to 4.14, despite not allowing multiple walks for the first time in his career.
With the Mets dealing with multiple injuries to the starting rotation, while still trying to give Senga extra rest in between starts since he was used to that while pitching in Japan, the pitching staff is in a difficult spot. Sal says it's quickly becoming a problem, as Senga isn't as reliable as the pitcher he replaced in the rotation this past offseason.
"Kodai Senga, he has shown, even through just seven starts in the majors, he might be a bit of a problem," Sal said. "I still believe the upside with Senga is better than [Chris] Bassitt, but every five days, Bassitt showed up and did his job. He was stable in that rotation, except the Braves and Padres series."
Senga has shown flashes of brilliance, like the six shutout innings he tossed against the Rockies in his last start (though he still had to pitch around four walks), but the extra rest coupled with his lack of consistency leaves a lot to be desired for Sal.
"Senga has shown you he can be dominant on eight days rest, but in the major leagues, you can't have eight days," Sal said.
"Kodai Senga has been part of the problem, because he's got limitations."
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