JUPITER, Fla. — Kodai Senga’s four-seam fastball scintillated Saturday, a positive development that didn’t match his results from this first Grapefruit League outing.
One of those fastballs disappeared behind the fence at Roger Dean Ceverlot Stadium.
An inning later, Senga threw a forkball that also went for a solo homer.
“Overall, really good outing,” Senga said through an interpreter on a day the Mets beat the Cardinals 3-2. “The results, a couple of homers, but no big deal. I’m working on things and we’ll continue to work on things the next outing, but overall it was really good today.”
Senga, who allowed two earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts over 2 ²/₃ innings, peaked at 98.9 mph with his four-seamer.
He averaged 96.7 mph with the pitch — an increase of 2 mph from last season.
“It’s not something that I have seen the last two years that I have been here,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “On the first day [of camp], he’s 94-95 and then Day 1 when he’s playing in a real game you see 97-98, and just how sharp he was. He’s healthy and you can see it now.”
Senga, who threw 50 pitches, allowed a homer to Joshua Baez in the second inning and another to Miguel Ugueto in the third.
He got Nolan Gorman to hit into a double play to end the first inning after allowing a single to Alec Burleson.
“Not only the 98 [mph], but his ability to spin it, too,” Mendoza said. “I thought he stole a couple of strike ones with his breaking ball, but he used the fastball, he used the split. You have got 98 and got that forkball, it’s pretty impressive.”
The right-hander finished last season at Triple-A Syracuse following a second-half nosedive.
Senga, who carried a 1.47 ERA into mid-June, never really regained his mojo following a stint on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
Senga cited mechanical adjustments as the biggest factor in his increased velocity.
“I’m getting my body back to where I need to be so that I can perform,” Senga said. “I feel like I’m there right now.”
If the Mets escape spring training with full health among the starting pitchers — a big “if” — the plan is to deploy a six-man rotation that includes Senga.
And Senga said he is prepared to pitch on the normal fifth day if that is what the organization decides. Over his first three seasons, Senga has mostly been afforded an extra day of rest.
“I’ve never said that I can’t throw on regular rest or that I prefer an extra day,” Senga said. “If I’m told by the organization, ‘Hey, you are going on this day,’ that is what I am going to prepare for. As long as I know beforehand, I have no issues with that. Nothing has changed.”
Senga appears more relaxed to Mendoza.
“You see a Kodai Senga in the clubhouse smiling, more interactions with teammates,” Mendoza said. “He’s not in the training room getting treatment. He’s a healthy player that is able to do a lot of different things, but it affects the personality, so definitely a different version this year.”
How different is Senga’s level of confidence from the second half of last season?
“It’s pretty high because he’s feeling good,” Mendoza said. “We have got to keep it there. He’s working hard and he’s listening. Not that he didn’t listen before, but he’s just a different guy.”
