Mets manager Carlos Mendoza addressed the plan for the Mets' rotation ahead of Saturday afternoon's game against the Texas Rangers.
Jonah Tong stays in rotation
Mendoza indicated that the situation remains fluid, but as of Saturday, the plan was to keep the 22-year-old Tong in the big league rotation after his rough six-run outing on Friday night.
"So right now, he is," Mendoza said about Tong's spot in the rotation. “We gotta get through the off-day [on Monday], we said we were going to get creative, but we haven’t had conversations about not having Jonah start a game.
“Again, it’s fluid, but as of right now, he is in the rotation.”
Tong recorded just two outs and allowed six runs on four hits and three walks, but the skipper has confidence in the young right-hander's ability to navigate his first truly rough experience in the majors.
“The talent, the stuff, personality, there’s a lot to like there. And a lot to learn from it, too,” Mendoza said. “He’ll move on, he’ll learn, he’s already thinking about the next one. That gives me and all of us confidence on it.”
And the manager isn’t the only one stepping in to help Tong, who was rather emotional after his tough start.
“I talked to him last night after the game, I talked to him today, but the good thing, it was pretty telling for me, to see all the veterans, pretty much the whole team, supporting him last night,” Mendoza said on Saturday. “It goes to show you that not only [do] we have really good players, but we got really good people that care about each other and have each other’s back.
“[Friday] walking in the clubhouse and the cafeteria after the game, the whole team was right there supporting him. That gives me confidence, too. It's just a good thing to see from our team.”
Plan for Kodai Senga
The Mets will have Senga make a second start at Triple-A, Mendoza confirmed, as the right-hander still has a few things to work through.
“That was the plan, he’s gotta be down there for 15 days anyway,” the manager said about Senga pitching again. “See how he responds [over] the next few days, continue to work on his mechanics, but the plan is for him to make another one.”
The club will be hoping the 32-year-old’s next outing goes as well as his first: one run on three hits over six innings with eight strikeouts.
“It was very good,” Mendoza said of Senga’s first outing with Syracuse. “When you look at the numbers, no walks, the strikeouts, the way he used all of his pitches.
“The main thing he threw strikes, he attacked. And pretty much every pitch was working, so that’s a really good sign there.”
On the night, he got 18 whiffs on 43 swings with nine called strikes for a 36 percent called strike-whiff rate on 74 total pitches.
He was particularly good with the 17 forkballs he threw, which was particularly spooky for the minor league competition: 11 whiffs on 11 swings.
On Brett Baty’s defense at second
After Jeff McNeil’s ejection in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes in Friday's loss, the Mets went to Baty off the bench to play second base. Before the season, Baty’s ability to play second was a lingering question mark. But right now, his versatility has proven to be a big boost for the club.
“You gotta give him credit, because this was a guy that wasn’t familiar with that position, and we’ve given him starts there, and you feel comfortable. You like your chances,” Mendoza said of Baty. “And then not only when he’s in the lineup, but even if he’s not, he allows you to make those in-game decisions, like what happened yesterday. Man, he’s been pretty solid, pretty steady.
“And it’s not an easy transition, especially when you come up playing on the left side of the infield and now you gotta know, not only the angles, but there’s a lot more. Whether it’s cuts and relays, turning double plays. And he’s been really good for us.”
Through 366 innings over 56 games at second base this season, Baty has two defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. Not bad for a guy who had not played the position at the big league level before this season.
