Kodai Senga aims to extend Mets' pitching prowess vs. Giants

Two pitchers with Cy Young Award aspirations wil meet for the first time Sunday when right-handers Kodai Senga and Logan Webb go head-to-head as the New York Mets and host San Francisco Giants complete a four-game series.

The Mets have won two of the first three in a series in which no outcome has been closer than five runs.

New York starters Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes have dominated 10-3 and 9-0 wins the past two nights, limiting the Giants to a total of one earned run and four hits in 12 1/3 innings.

They will hand the ball and a slumping opponent to Senga (0-1, 3.00 ERA), who had teammates and coaches gushing after his first start of the season, when he allowed just four hits and two runs over six innings at St. Louis on Tuesday. He struck out nine of the 25 batters he faced but got no support in a 3-0 defeat.

"It was a great start to the year," Senga said afterward. "It makes me excited for this year. It felt like I'm a starting pitcher again."

The 33-year-old right-hander battled injuries during a 7-6 campaign a year ago. But he was back on his 2023 All-Star form, pitching coach Justin Willard told reporters, which already is doing wonders for his confidence.

"This guy wants to be great," Willard said. "I think you saw it (in 2023) when he was here, and then a couple injuries derailed him a bit. But he wants to be great. He wants to be the best pitcher in baseball. And he's going to do things he needs to do to be that."

While his 1-0 record wouldn't indicate it, Senga has struggled in his three career starts against the Giants, roughed up for 14 hits and 11 runs in 14 innings. He also has walked 12, contributing to a 7.07 ERA.

Senga will see a Giants team that has struggled both in the field and at the plate in the past two games. Manager Tony Vitello clearly was more concerned about the former when defending his losing pitcher, Landen Roupp, after Saturday's defeat.

"Too many innings where there are four outs that have to be recorded," he lamented in his postgame press conference.

"They (the Mets) have done a really good job of swinging the bat, but you'd be hard-pressed to find an inning where they scored where there wasn't the potential for the inning to be over. Our defense, we can certainly do better."

Hoping for more help behind him will be Webb (1-1, 7.36), who bounced back from a shaky Opening Day start against the New York Yankees to limit the San Diego Padres to three hits and three runs over six innings in a 9-3 road win Tuesday. He allowed seven runs (six earned) in five innings in a 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

The two-time All-Star is 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA in seven career starts against the Mets.

After racking up a total of 27 hits in its last two games, New York likely will once again be without Juan Soto, who experienced tightness in his right calf in the first inning of Friday's win.

Jared Young started in his spot Saturday, then gave way to Tyrone Taylor, who belted a game-breaking, three-run home run as a pinch hitter. Taylor finished the game with four RBIs.

--Field Level Media