Senga ghosts his ghost fork as precaution in final Grapefruit League start
PORT ST. LUCIE — Kodai Senga’s infamous ghost fork is tough to see (hence the nickname for the pitch), but if you were watching the Mets’ 5-2 Grapefruit League loss at Clover Park on Wednesday, you didn’t see any at all. Senga didn’t throw any splitters in his final Grapefruit League start of spring training. He threw 58 pitches, most of which were fastballs and cutters. He allowed two earned runs on two hits over four innings, walked three and struck out three in a start that he said felt good at some points, but at others, “not so much.”
“A lot of things to work on, a lot of adjustments to make,” Senga said through a translator. “It went OK.”
Senga held off on the splitter in an attempt to avoid re-aggravating the tendinitis in his right middle finger that bothered him a few weeks ago. The right-hander skipped a start because of tendinitis that he feels was the result of changing his grip on the Major League baseball. He doesn’t think it was his signature pitch that caused the injury specifically and he’s not concerned about throwing it moving forward, but he exercised some caution with just eight days left until the regular season.
“As of right now, I’m not worried about not throwing it at all. I’m not worried about anything, really,” he said. “I just want to make this period about whatever it takes to adjust and get ready to throw for Opening Day. So if that requires me to throw it, then I will. If not, then I won’t.”
Senga was able to meet with Koji Uehara on Wednesday, a righthander who pitched for Buck Showalter in Baltimore, as well as for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Uehara came from Miami, where he’d been a member of the broadcast crew for the World Baseball Classic. The two had previously talked on the phone, but Showalter wanted Senga to be able to meet with the nine-year MLB veteran. However, any stories about Shohei Ohtani’s heroics in the World Baseball Classic were heard second-hand. Senga stayed in Port St. Lucie to watch Japan clinch the title Tuesday night.
“I didn’t go because maybe Buck would be mad if I went,” he said.
Senga will finish spring training by pitching in a scrimmage Monday at Clover Park.
ARMS RACE
The Mets had an All-Star former closer in camp Wednesday, with John Franco and Al Leiter coming to Port St. Lucie as the final guest instructors of spring training. Franco said he could step into his old role and take over for injured right-hander Edwin Diaz, but with one caveat: “Only if I can throw from 30 feet,” he joked.
Absorbing the loss of a top reliever like Diaz is no easy feat, even for a team with a lot of arms like the Mets. But in baseball, there may never be enough pitching, so the only thing the relief corps can do is attempt to make up for what they’re missing without Diaz.
“They’ve got to step up,” Franco said. “(David) Robertson has closed before, so has (Adam) Ottavino, so those guys have to step up. Everybody has just got to step up. It’s a long season and there are injuries and guys who step in for the guys who are hurt have to do the best they can. Successful teams have that.”
EXTRA BAGS
Right-hander Stephen Nogosek threw three innings in a minor league game on the back fields. … Injured left-hander Brooks Raley threw live batting practice to injured outfielder Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo had two at-bats and ran the bases. Raley (hamstring) is on track to be ready for Opening Day and Nimmo (low-grade sprained knee and ankle) is hopeful to be ready. Showalter would like to see them get into one of the final three Grapefruit League games and expects them to do so. … Right-hander Carlos Carrasco won’t make his scheduled start Thursday in a minor league game, but will pitch in a minor league game Tuesday. Carrasco is doing some “elbow maintenance” this week, the same work he has done in the past to keep his elbow healthy.