KANSAS CITY — The dust is starting to settle after the trade deadline and the new Mets look a lot like the old ones.
The Mets dropped the second game of a three-game series to the Kansas City Royals, 4-0, on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. Kodai Senga struggled through the rain early and newly-acquired reliever Phil Bickford gave up an insurance homer in his Mets debut. The lowly Royals took the series.
Senga has been the Mets’ most reliable starter this season and is one of the last men standing after the club traded right-handers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. But on a hot, sticky night in Missouri, the rookie right-hander put the first two batters he faced on base. Two outs later, the Royals were on the board.
They scored three times against Senga in the first two innings. Senga settled in and lasted 5 2/3 innings to help the bullpen, but it was a struggle. He gave up 11 hits and walked two, but he did strike out six in the loss (7-6).
Left-hander Cole Ragans has struggled with his command all season but he didn’t have much trouble against a depleted Mets lineup. Without Brandon Nimmo (injury), Tommy Pham or Mark Canha, the Mets were shut out. Ragans (3-3) held the Mets scoreless over six innings, allowing seven hits and walking one while striking out eight. Two other relievers finished the job over the final three innings
Drew Waters teed off on Bickford on the third pitch he saw in the bottom of the eighth to push the game out of reach for the Mets (50-57).
Bickford, who was acquired in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday for cash considerations along with former Mets farmhand Adam Kolark, took over for Reed Garrett at the start of the inning. He struck out Edward Olivares before getting ahead 0-2 on Waters. But Waters hit a slider at the bottom of the zone and sent it over the right field fence for his fifth home run of the season.
The Mets threatened in the ninth against right-hander Taylor Clarke. Clarke put two on with two out and Daniel Vogelbach’s pinch-hit single loaded the bases. But Jeff McNeil hit a slow roller to second base to the end the game.
The series concludes after Thursday’s game at 2:10 p.m., ET. Then, the Mets head to Baltimore to face one of the league’s best teams for three games this weekend.
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