Mets use pitching creativity for staggering results in NLDS Game 1 win

PHILADELPHIA — The Mets did not have a true starting pitcher and apparently did not want to use Edwin Diaz.

It did not matter on a night creativity beat tradition.

The Kodai Senga experiment started terribly, ended up fine and looked increasingly smart long after Senga had finished pitching.

Senga bounced back from an ominous first batter, thus beginning a run of several multi-inning arms who pieced together a beauty in a comeback, 6-2 win in Game 1 of the NLDS over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Senga allowed one run (on a leadoff bomb from Kyle Schwarber) in two innings before giving way to David Peterson, who passed the ball to Reed Garrett, who handed off to Phil Maton, who watched Ryne Stanek record the final three outs.

The entire group of a hybrid bullpen game combined to hold the Phillies to two runs on five hits and five walks, an array of different arms and arm slots and arsenals who baffled Phillies batters.

That the Mets held this powerful Phillies offense to two runs was impressive; that they did so without a single pitcher logging more than three innings and without Diaz was staggering.

The experiment began with concern, Senga dusting himself off from the calf strain and triceps tightness to take the mound for a second time this year only to watch Schwarber, the leadoff hitter, demolish his third pitch halfway up the second deck in right.

Right fielder Starling Marte did not bother taking a step backward.

That would be the only hit Senga allowed, though. He walked one batter and struck out three, both his slider and ghost forkball sharp. Senga’s velocity was slightly down, but he touched 97 mph with his fastball.

After 31 pitches, he becomes an enticing option if he lengthens out later in the playoffs — if the Mets are still playing later in the playoffs. They are playing like they will be.

After Senga came Peterson, a starter who was bounced out of the rotation by Senga and who handled the demotion with grace and excellence.

In the adjusted role, Peterson was excellent for three scoreless innings after recording the save in Game 3 in Milwaukee.

The lefty was not at his best Saturday, walking three in his three frames, but he was sharp when he needed to be.

When two Phillies reached base in the third, Peterson induced a fly out from Nick Castellanos.

Bryson Stott got to second on a walk and a ground out in the fourth but was stranded when Brandon Marsh flew out.

In the fifth Peterson again flirted with danger, issuing a leadoff walk to Johan Rojas (after Rojas appeared to have struck out looking on a pitch home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher ruled was a ball).

Rojas reached second on a ground out, but he advanced no farther: Trea Turner fouled out and Peterson struck out Bryce Harper with an outside fastball.

Garrett was dominant for two perfect frames.

Maton got into trouble in the eighth, allowing a pair of hits, but stranded the runners with an Alec Bohm ground ball that Jose Iglesias, shifted over to third base, handled well.

After Diaz threw 39 pitches Thursday — making it 105 pitches since Sunday, a workload he had never seen before — he did not warm up until Stanek allowed a ninth-inning run.

But Stanek bounced back to retire Schwarber, finishing off an inventive and effective pitching night.