MIAMI — Kodai Senga scuffled early, but wasn’t the problem for the Mets on Tuesday.
Returning to the mound in a regular-season game for only the second time since his dominant rookie season in 2023, the right-hander executed pitches, recovering from a shaky first inning.
The problem was the Mets’ lethargic attack against Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins bullpen, coupled with a rare rough night defensively by Francisco Lindor.
The sum of that equation was a 4-2 loss at loanDepot park that left the Mets in need of a Wednesday victory just to finish .500 on their initial road trip.
Lindor committed two fielding errors, the biggest of which occurred in the fifth and helped the Marlins establish their margin of victory. But the Mets also managed only five hits. Only two of those hits came after the third inning.
The Mets received what they needed from Senga, who allowed four runs (two of which were unearned) on three hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over five innings. He left after throwing 77 pitches, about the level he reached in his final spring training appearance last week.
Senga placed the Mets in a fast 2-0 hole on Kyle Stowers’ two-run homer in the first inning. Xavier Edwards doubled leading off the game for the Marlins before Senga left a 93-mph four-seamer over the middle of the plate for Stowers, who cleared the fence in right-center.
Brandon Nimmo’s homer leading off the second got a run back for the Mets. The blast was Nimmo’s second in as many games, giving him the team lead in homers through five games. Nimmo got ahead in the count 2-1 before blasting a changeup from Alcantara for the homer.
Lindor snapped an 0-for-12 stretch to begin the season with an RBI single in the third that tied it 2-2. Luisangel Acuña opened the inning with a double and after Jose Siri was retired Lindor delivered.
Alcantara, in his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, allowed two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts over five innings. The right-hander was removed at 70 pitches.
Senga struck out the side in the third — all on forkballs — but Lindor’s second booted grounder of the night for an error caused problems in the fourth.
After Otto Lopez reached first leading off the inning on Lindor’s second error, Jonah Bride drew a two-out walk. Graham Pauley’s two-run double gave the Marlins a 4-2 lead.
