Game #60 Preview: Kikuchi vs Senga

The Blue Jays wrap up their series in Queens, looking to earn the sweep over the Mets after two well pitched wins. Today’s game is scheduled for a 1:40 ET start, but neither of the first two games started anywhere close to the projected start time, so take that 1:40 as merely a suggestion just like the Mets.

Blue Jays’ Starter

Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Jays, making his 12th start of the season. He’s likely happy to put May behind him and start anew now that we’re into June. After starting the season great (3.00 ERA in 27 innings), his May was abysmal with a 5.83 ERA over 29.1 innings. His wOBA against went from .305 in April (roughly Robbie Grossman, who has a 93 wRC+) all the way up to .409 (roughly Yordan Alvare, who has a 165 wRC+). He allowed 9 home runs in his six May starts, and has also recently seen his walk numbers spike with 11 in his last 14.2 innings.

Mets’ Starter

The Mets will send fellow Japanese countryman Kodai Senga to the mound against Kikuchi and the Jays. Senga is a 30 year old rookie, signing with the Mets this past offseason for a 5 year, $75m contract. The Mets have to be happy with the results early on, as Senga is 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA and a 3.85 FIP.

Senga is doing a fantastic job striking guys out, currently sitting 6th in baseball with an 11.45 K/9 rate. He also does well keeping the ball in the yard, with less than a home run per 9 innings, decently better than league average. If the Jays are going to have success today, they’re going to need to have patience, as Senga’s biggest weakness this year has been issuing walks. Senga has given up walks at a 5.07 BB/9 rate, coming in as the 5th worst in baseball.

Blue Jays’ Lineup

Mets’ Lineup

Yesterday’s Heroes

Luis Arraez went 5-5 with 3 doubles, driving in 5 runs to take home the Monster Bat award. Arraez also ran his Major League best batting average up to .390, as his Marlins took down Athletics 12-1.

Harold Ramírez had a big day in the double header yesterday. He went 5-8 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI, putting up a .144 WPA in the first game and a .331 mark in the second one to take home the WPA King with a combined .475 mark. His Rays split the doubleheader in Boston, with the Red Sox winning the first one 8-5 before the Rays came back and won the night cap 4-2 on the strength of a Ramírez 2-run double in the top of the 9th.

Alex Cobb twirled a gem last night, getting 2 outs into the 8th inning before being pulled. He gave up 5 hits but no walks or runs while striking out 7 on his way to winning the Pitcher of the Day award. Cobb also took home the win as the Giants beat the Orioles 4-0.

Find the Link

Find the link between Starling Marte and Sean Doolittle.

Stats retrieved from Fangraphs and Baseball Savant