Mets' Carlos Mendoza: Kodai Senga 'pretty close' to his peak after latest spring start

· Yahoo Sports

Thursday night saw Kodai Senga make his third start in spring training, and while he wasn't as dominant as his last outing, the Mets right-hander's appearance against the Astros may be more impressive. 

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Senga pitched four scoreless innings against Houston, but it was how he got through those frames that is notable. He allowed three hits and one walk, but he scattered them all. He overcame varying location issues with the fastball and ground through to blank an Astros team that was using most of their projected Opening Day lineup.

"Everything seems to be working," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the team's 6-2 win. "Slider, sweeper. Fastball command came and went, but overall, the secondaries were sharp today."

After an injury-marred 2025, Senga entered spring after an offseason of questions and trade rumors. But the former Rookie of the Year contender has shown, albeit in a limited sample size, that he is working towards that form again. And the biggest thing that Senga has preached throughout camp this year is that he's healthy -- and it's been a big difference not just physically, but mentally.

"As long as I'm healthy and I'm able to pitch my pitches and pitch to my ability, I think the results come along with that," Senga said through an interpreter. "I'm striving for that and that's what I'm here to do. I came from Japan to the States to do that. Things aren’t always going to go my way, but if that happens, I’ll grind out there and hopefully the results come."

On Thursday, Senga's fastball hit 97.3 mph. He's hit 99 mph this spring, which is encouraging for Senga and his team. When the fastball is working, Senga's patented ghost fork and other secondary pitches are more effective.

“That’s our ace. If he stays healthy, he’s going to help the team to go all the way," Juan Soto said. "Definitely, he has the stuff to do it. He just got to keep himself in the game.”

"Compared to the previous years, I feel like I am performing at a higher level," Senga said. "So just gotta keep it up for the season."

And Senga's skipper feels the same way. Mendoza echoed Senga's sentiments regarding a new mindset but is also impressed with how early in the season that he's put it together compared to previous seasons.

When he was asked whether his right-hander was close to "peak" Senga, Mendoza did not hesitate to answer.

"I think he’s close," Mendoza said. "Watching him this early, throwing the ball the way he’s been throwing the ball, that’s probably something we saw the second, third week of April last year. It took him a while coming out of spring training. But to see him this early, seems like everything is working for him. Not only the velo, but the movement on all his pitches. He’s pretty close."

Last season, Senga held a 1.26 ERA (four earned runs in 28.2 IP) after five April starts. And while this spring hasn't been that dominant, it's looking similar.

After allowing two runs in 2.2 innings in his spring debut, Senga has followed up with seven scoreless innings in his next two starts. He's also struck out nine batters in that span. 

Senga is scheduled to make one more start before the regular season begins. If he can return to that peak form from a year ago, the Mets' rotation will be one to fear.

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