JUPITER, Fla. — The Mets capitalized on traffic, Kodai Senga was in command, and Peter Lambert’s first impression left questions. New York handed Houston a 6-2 loss Thursday evening at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Lambert’s outing unraveled in the fourth. After a quiet start, he allowed three runs on three hits in the inning, walking one and striking out one before Steven Okert took over. A Brett Baty double scored Bo Bichette to open the scoring, and a bases-loaded walk to Jose Aular forced home Jorge Polanco to make it 3-0.
The Mets broke it open in the fifth. Juan Soto and Bichette drew back-to-back walks, Polanco singled to load the bases, and Luis Robert Jr. cleared two with a double to center. Marcus Semien followed with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 6-0.
Houston showed some life late. Yordan Alvarez singled home Shay Whitcomb in the fifth to get the Astros on the board. In the seventh, Nick Allen tripled and scored on a Brice Matthews RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-2. Matthews finished with a strong night at the plate, adding a double and a stolen base.
Senga set the tone for New York, working four scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out four. He’s been one of the sharper arms in camp this spring.
For Lambert, the outing comes at an awkward time. With rotation spots still in flux, a three-run inning against a mixed Mets lineup won’t help his case. There’s still time to recover before Opening Day, but the margin for error is shrinking.
