Senga Electric, Holmes Strong in Mets’ 1-0 Loss to Marlins

Kodai Senga and the New York Mets (9-7-1) took on the Miami Marlins (7-10) in Port St. Lucie in a low-scoring loss on Friday.

Senga came out guns-blazing in a 1-2-3 first inning. He threw six pitches above 96 mph, maxing out at 97.9 mph on his thirtieth pitch of the inning before fooling Connor Norby on his patented ghost forkball for a strikeout.

Senga continued his work in the second inning, once again retiring the side in order with two more strikeouts, with his last pitch being 98.6 mph. In the bottom half, the Mets had runners on the corners with one out after a Francisco Alvarez walk and Mike Tauchman single. However, following a strikeout by Luis Torrens and a groundout by Tyrone Taylor, the score remained 0-0.

Senga finished his outing by once again setting the Marlins down in order with two more strikeouts. He finished his three perfect innings with five strikeouts, an excellent sign for what is to come in the 2026 season.

Devin Williams entered in the top of the fourth inning, where he struck out a pair and allowed a pair of two-out singles, before working out of trouble. He worked in a steady diet of air-bending changeups, 4-seam fastballs, and cutters to keep the score at 0-0.

Clay Holmes entered in the top of the fifth, returning from Team USA in the WBC due to not receiving a large enough workload for his season preparation. In the inning, he retired the Marlins in order with a strikeout. The Mets’ offense woke up a bit in the bottom of the inning, getting two on with one out, but a Jackson Cluff lineout that turned into a 4-6 double play ended the inning.

After another strong inning from Holmes in the sixth where he struck out two while setting the side down in order again, the seventh was not as spotless. After a leadoff single, a strikeout, and a steal, another single gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Holmes retired the next two to keep the score right there.

Holmes continued his solid outing with a 1-2-3 eighth inning where he recorded his fifth strikeout. In the bottom half of the inning, Ryan Clifford recorded a one-out single, before the Mets stranded two and the score remained 1-0 Marlins.

Holmes finished his five-inning outing in the ninth inning. He allowed just the one run, two hits, zero walks, and six strikeouts in Friday’s game, making a good step towards the regular season.

The Mets came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, looking to make a late rally. However, their attempt would come up short despite getting the leadoff runner on base. The final score was 1-0 Marlins.

Player of the Game: Kodai Senga

Senga was excellent in his three innings of work in Friday’s game. His fastball velocity remained significantly elevated from where it was in 2025 and he was efficient, throwing just 37 pitches. It will be interesting to see if Senga can maintain the level he is pitching at right now as he stretches out in preparation for the regular season.

On Deck

The Mets will take on the Houston Astros on Saturday at 6:05pm. The game will take place in West Palm Beach, Florida, streaming live on Astros – Space City Home Network and nationally on MLB Network (out-of-market-only).

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