Kodai Senga tosses successful rehab start, but Syracuse falls in ten innings to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 8-6

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets received a cameo from a former MLB All-Star on Tuesday evening as Kodai Senga made a successful short rehab start at NBT Bank Stadium. From there, the game turned into a battle of wills. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rallied back from an early four-run deficit, plating eight of the game’s final ten runs to beat the Syracuse Mets by an 8-6 final in ten innings to start the weeklong, six-game series. The game took three hours and 38 minutes to complete, the longest game of the season for the Mets. Each team also used seven pitchers in the marathon of a baseball game.

Syracuse (53-34, 7-6) gave its starting star pitcher plenty of early run support, scoring three times in the first inning on an RBI double from Rylan Bannon and a two-run single from Luke Ritter.

The Mets added on in the second via a solo homer from Carlos Cortes, a booming shot that sailed 400 feet over the right-field fence for a 4-0 lead.

That set the stage for Kodai Senga, who tossed two and two-thirds scoreless innings in a planned shorter rehab start. Senga allowed just two hits and struck three batters, all of which came swinging on his signature “ghost fork” breaking ball. However, Senga did walk the final two batters he faced and threw 30 strikes among the 52 total pitches that he threw. It was the second rehab start for Senga, who pitched for High-A Brooklyn last week.

From there, it became a battle of the bullpens with neither team scoring again until the top of the seventh inning. Josh Walker came onto the scene for the Mets hoping to keep his sterling season going. Walker entered Tuesday night’s game with an ERA well under 2.00 at the Triple-A level this season. However, it wouldn’t prove to be his night. Walker got just one out in the seventh, allowed four runs (all earned) on two hits for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (48-38, 5-7) with three walks and one strikeout. A pair of run-producing hits doomed Walker. First, a two-run double from Oscar Gonzalez slimmed the deficit to 4-2, and then a two-run single from Carlos Narváez later in the inning tied the game, 4-4.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Mets scrapped their way back in front. A leadoff bunt single from Yolmer Sánchez put a runner on base with nobody out, followed by a one-out double from Pablo Reyes that moved runners to second and third with one out. A walk to Mike Brosseau filled up the bases, bringing Rhylan Thomas to the plate. Thomas hit a slow groundball to second base that looked like it may turn into an inning-ending double play, but Thomas beat the relay throw to first base to allow Sánchez to score from third and put Syracuse back in the driver’s seat with a 5-4 advantage.

The game still had some wrinkles left in it. In the top of the ninth, the RailRiders tied it back up and nearly took the lead. Jeter Downs led off the frame with a no-doubt, game-tying solo home run over the left-field fence that made it 5-5. Then, Oswald Peraza singled and stole his way to second to put the potential winning run in scoring position. Tyler Jay bore down from there for Syracuse, retiring the next three batters in order to make sure it remained tied at five into the bottom of the ninth.

Syracuse went scoreless in the bottom half of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plated three runs to take an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the tenth. With Narváez as the free runner at second base and nobody out, Brandon Lockridge dropped down a bunt single to put runners on first and third with still nobody out. José Rojas then singled into center field to score them both (Lockridge had stolen his way to second base) and turn it into a 7-5 game. Later in the inning, the RailRiders added an insurance run. With runners on second and third with two outs, a wild pitch allowed a third run in the tenth inning to prance home and up the lead to 8-5, the largest of the game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

In the bottom of the tenth, the Mets gave their last valiant effort. Reyes started the inning as the free runner at second base, moving immediately to third on a single from Mike Brosseau to start the home half of the tenth. After consecutive outs kept the runners on third and first, Austin Allen punched a single into center field to score Reyes, move Brosseau to third, and bring Luisangel Acuña to the plate with the chance to be the hero. It wasn’t to be, as Acuña lined out back to the pitcher to end the game with the Mets as 8-6 losers.

Syracuse has now dropped three out of its last four home games, still holding a sterling 26-17 overall record at NBT Bank Stadium this season.

The Syracuse Mets are back home for a weeklong, six-game series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The series continues at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday at NBT Bank Stadium – it’s already the third different series for the Mets against the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate this season, although it’s the first series held so far at NBT Bank Stadium. Right-hander Dom Hamel is slated to start for the Mets opposed by right-hander JT Brubaker for the RailRiders.