Baseball

Kodai Senga, The Rookie from Japan Has Allowed Two Runs or Less in His Last Eight Starts; Mets beat Marlins 8-3

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga walks to the dugout before the team’s baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Miami.

11:52 JST, September 21, 2023

MIAMI (AP) — Brandon Nimmo hit a home run, double and single, Mark Vientos had his first career multi-homer game and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Kodai Senga threw six innings of two-run ball while Brett Baty also went deep for the Mets, who clinched the three-game series against the playoff-contending Marlins. Miami began Wednesday one half game from the third NL wild card spot.

Senga (12-7) gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked two. The rookie from Japan has allowed two runs or less in his last eight starts.

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga, of Japan, throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Miami.

Marlins infielder Luis Arraez missed his second straight game because of a left ankle sprain. Arraez, who leads the major leagues with a .354 batting average, stepped on a baseball during pre-game infield drills on Tuesday.

Vientos gave New York an early lead with his solo shot in the second, driving a slider from Marlins starter Eury Pérez (5-6) over the wall in left.

Nimmo scored from first on Ronny Mauricio’s single and two Miami throwing errors for a 2-0 lead in the third. Jesús Sánchez’s throw from right-field got past third baseman Jake Burger. Burger retrieved the ball then threw errantly to home plate. Mauricio reached third and raced home on Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly.

Burger exited because of right quad tightness while chasing Sánchez’s errant throw.

Vientos connected with his second solo shot off reliever George Soriano in the sixth.

Josh Bell hit a solo homer for Miami in the sixth.

Baty and Nimmo hit solo blasts against off Johnny Cueto in the eighth and ninth.

Pérez’s outing ended after three innings. The 20-year-old rookie gave up three runs, three hits, walked three and struck out three. He remains winless in eight starts since his second call-up from the minors Aug. 7.

QUICK WORK

Senga faced the minimum in the fifth around two hits aided by two outfield assists from Jeff McNeil. Jorge Soler singled and raced to third on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single to right. Chisholm attempted to extend it into a double but McNeil initiated a relay throw that cut him down at second. McNeil caught Xavier Edwards’ fly ball to short right and threw Soler out at home.