Baseball

Kodai Senga Allowed Two Runs and Struck Out Eight in Five Innings: Brewers to a 5-2 Win over Mets

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
New York Mets’ Kodai Senga pitches during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in New York.

12:09 JST, June 29, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Christian Yelich had three hits and two RBIs, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-2 win over the New York Mets on Wednesday night, hours after Mets owner Steve Cohen held a press conference in which he preached patience but said his struggling team is running out of time to get back into the playoff race.

The $355 million Mets are 36-44 and have lost 17 of 23. They were 8 1/2 games out of the last NL wild-card spot entering Wednesday. New York hasn’t won a series since sweeping Philadelphia from May 30 through June 1.

“All is not lost yet,” Cohen said. “But it’s getting late.”

A night after a 7-2 win that Cohen called “…a crisp game, probably one of the best games we’ve played all year,” the Mets went 0 for 11 with runners on base and stranded seven.

Manager Buck Showalter, whose job was deemed safe for the rest of the season by Cohen, was ejected after Yelich’s two-run single in the eighth inning, which came after Joey Wiemer was awarded first base when he was hit by a pitch while swinging at the ball.

Jesse Winker had a two-run double in the first, and Blake Perkins delivered a go-ahead single in the sixth off Grant Hartwig (0-1).

Tommy Pham homered for the Mets and went 3 for 3 with a walk. Francisco Álvarez drew a bases-loaded walk that tied it 2-all in the fourth, but then Brett Baty struck out and Mark Canha grounded sharply into an inning-ending double play.

Bryse Wilson (3-0) allowed two hits over 1 2/3 innings. Devin Williams earned his 15th save by striking out two in a perfect ninth.

Brewers starter Wade Miley gave up two runs in four innings. Mets starter Kodai Senga allowed two runs and struck out eight in five innings.

OOPS

Senga was charged with an unusual ball during a fifth-inning at-bat against Winker. Plate umpire Carlos Torres called time but got back into a crouch as Senga began his delivery. Winker ducked out of the batter’s box and took several steps towards the Mets’ dugout as Senga, ahead in the count 0-2, bounced a pitch that landed well short and wide of the plate. Winker worked the count to 3-2 before grounding out.