Maybe, just maybe, the Mets found a new spot for Kodai Senga?

Also - the Mets youngsters along with Luis Torrens and Bo Bichette had big nights in a win in Cleveland

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets won their series opener in Cleveland with a well-rounded performance on both sides of the ball, 6-2 (box)

• LHP Sean Manaea allowed just two runs over six innings on seven scattered hits and five walks; he struck out seven Guardians

• C Luis Torrens put on a show with a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk, and four RBIs

• LF A.J. Ewing and 3B Bo Bichette also had multi-hit days, with Bichette drilling a 422-foot solo bomb into the Cleveland bleachers

• RF Carson Benge contributed both in the field and at the plate, throwing out a runner at third in the bottom of the second inning and cranking a 450-foot homer in the eighth to give the Mets their sixth and final run of the day

• RHP Nate Lavender made his long-awaited MLB debut, tallying his first major league strikeout and walk in a scoreless 1.1-inning outing

• RHP Kodai Senga got the final three outs in a scoreless ninth inning

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Roster Moves 📰

• RHP Bryce Conley designated for assignment

• LHP Nate Lavender, OF Cristian Pache selected to the major league roster

• RHP Xzavion Curry and LHP Jefry Yan recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

• RHP Dedniel Núñez activated from the 60-day IL

• RHP Chayce McDermott reported to the major league team

• RHP Joey Gerber released

• Sent OF MJ Melendez, RHP Kevin Herget outright to Triple-A Syracuse

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Play of the Game 🔥

Carson Benge: future Gold Glover.

In the bottom of the second inning, with two outs and a runner on first, Steven Kwan stepped to the dish and smacked a 1-0 Sean Manaea sinker into right field. With Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio rounding second and rumbling towards third, Benge launched a perfect 96.2 mph strike across the diamond to Bo Bichette, snaring the streaking Rocchio mid-slide.

It’s one of the hardest-thrown outs by a Met in the Statcast era — something he’s plenty used to:

Sarah Langs@SlangsOnSports

96.3 mph! Carson Benge with the Mets’ 8th-fastest tracked OF assist under Statcast (2015) He has 3 of those top 8, including the top 2

MLB @MLB

Carson Benge shows off his cannon 💪

11:30 PM · Aug 4, 2026 · 36.3K Views

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2 Replies · 29 Reposts · 506 Likes

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

ICYMI: On the latest Just Mets Podcast, Andrew and Rich broke down the roster teardown ahead of the trade deadline, reacted to each move, and discussed the Mets retaining Luis Robert Jr.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• 1B Nick Lorusso (Triple-A): 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K

• SS Mitch Voit (No. 6 prospect, Double-A): 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB

• DH Marco Vargas (Double-A): 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB

• 2B Émilien Pitre (No. 17 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, DP (Amick)

• LF Trey Snyder (High-A): 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI

BOX SCORES

Single-A SLU (PPD) | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (48-66) vs. Guardians (57-57)

Where: Progressive Field - Cleveland, OH

Starters: RHP Christian Scott (3-3, 2.99 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (4-11, 3.81 ERA)

When: 6:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Kodai, the Closer?

Brett Davis-Getty Images

Last night, with the Mets up 6-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Kodai Senga was sent to the mound to secure the final three outs.

This is all part of a play, per manager Andy Green, to see how Senga operates as a “leverage reliever.” Though Senga is still adamant that he wants to return to the rotation, he’ll work in one-inning stints for the time being. The current thinking seems to be that if Senga’s best two pitches — his fastball and his forkball — are working at full capacity, in the right setting, they’re really all he should need to get outs.

And for a first-time experiment, last night’s outing wasn’t too bad at all.

Looking at the raw numbers, there’s only so much to write home about here: zero whiffs, spamming fastballs, issues consistently finding the bottom of the zone…it’s just not a particularly flashy set of sheets and charts.

But watching the outing itself, Senga was spotting those heaters all over the bottom third of the strike zone, living in the corners and working the edges. The contact that was generated was mostly negligible, and by working exclusively downstairs, he gave Steven Kwan, Jo Adell, Chase DeLauter, and Nathaniel Lowe very few chances to elevate anything competitive. There wasn’t any swing-and-miss happening, but that’s because Senga wasn’t giving anyone much of anything to hit. He finished the night with a 55% strike rate (10/18), and he’ll need to rediscover feel for the elevated heat that’s worked so well as a strikeout weapon for him previously…but if pitching to ineffective contact helps him get outs while he finds his footing in the upper zone again, do what works.

Getty Images

With limited opportunity to fully lose the zone and let things get away from him (in the game and in his head), Senga can really only do so much damage in any one outing anymore. That alone is some added comfort, and whether he realizes it or not, I imagine there’s some unspoken relief for him in that regard as well. Rather than starting a game, falling behind immediately, and then having to throw another few frames from an instant deficit, Senga can now operate a bit more freely and, ideally, be deployed in more favorable situations.

The hope, you assume, is to steadily build Senga’s confidence back in the hopes that he can either:

1. Rediscover some true starter-level production again with one year and $15 million remaining on his deal; or

2. Become an elite option at the back of a bullpen that just hemorrhaged all its best talent.

In the wake of this season’s sell-off, it goes without saying that Senga finding success in this role would be of exponential benefit to this franchise in the final months, especially since last year’s highly-touted fireballers Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert have struggled significantly this season. While the Mets do currently have guys like Dedniel Nuñez and Daniel Duarte averaging ~96 on their fastballs, Senga really serves as the only true proper high-heat threat in the current iteration of the ‘pen. In a way, that alone qualifies him for semi-closer duty.

And, if nothing else, there’s also the hope that this move helps re-establish some long-lost trade value in Senga’s arm.

Rumor has it that the Padres were interested in Senga at the deadline, but a deal never materialized — outside of that, there didn’t seem to be much, if any, interest in the right-hander on this year’s trade market. That’s no big surprise: an 0-8 record with an 8.47 ERA on the season isn’t bait that’s bound to get many bites.

But a fireballer with a signature secondary pitch that yields a 42.5% whiff rate? That’s something teams can (and will, enthusiastically) feast on.

Personally, I’m not convinced that this is any sort of true long-term play: Senga wants to start. That much is extremely clear. However, he himself knows how little leeway or influence he has over roster decisions right now. He’s going to show up and pitch in whatever capacity is asked of him, like a professional.

If working Senga back to big league prominence has to come by way of per-inning performance assessments and a dialed-in two-pitch mix, so be it.

At this point, what does anyone have to lose?

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Around the League 🚩

• Tarik Skubal tallied six strikeouts in his Dodgers debut, but he also allowed two runs over six innings and took the L in a 5-1 loss to the Cubs; LA has now lost five straight

• Luis Arráez had a two-hit, two-RBI debut for the Phillies as they shut out the Nationals, 5-0

• Pete Alonso’s third-inning two-run single helped boost a scoreless six-inning performance from Cade Povich to push the O’s past the Angels, 3-1

• The Red Sox hit four homers in a 14-2 win over the White Sox; they’ve hit eight homers in their last two games, and their 30 since the All-Star break is second in baseball only to the Atlanta Braves

• Yankees top prospect George Lombard, Jr. made his MLB debut on the same day his younger brother Jacob Lombard made his pro debut for the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Marlins’ Single-A affiliate; both brothers homered

• 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick Roch Cholowsky made his professional debut last night in High-A, drawing a walk but going 0-for-5 on the day