Struggling Kodai Senga seeks better form during Mets-Rockies doubleheader

No player better symbolizes the topsy-turvy nature of the New York Mets than right-hander Kodai Senga.

On Sunday, the Mets will look to the 33-year-old starting pitcher to snap his slump and help New York avoid falling into another tailspin when it hosts the Colorado Rockies in a doubleheader.

Senga (0-3, 8.83 ERA) and fellow right-hander Nolan McLean (1-1, 2.67) are expected to start for the Mets. The Rockies will counter with left-hander Jose Quintana (0-2, 6.23) in Game 1 and an opener ahead of right-hander Chase Dollander (2-2, 2.88).

The doubleheader was necessitated by a rainout Saturday, when Senga was slated to oppose Quintana.

The Rockies need only a split to win the series. That's because they claimed Friday's opener, 4-3, when Michael Lorenzen tossed seven strong innings and Troy Johnston delivered what proved to be the decisive two-run single in the seventh inning.

The loss halted a two-game winning streak for the Mets, who snapped a 12-game losing streak with Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. At 9-17, New York entered Saturday's play tied with the Kansas City Royals for the second-worst record in the majors. Only the National League East-rival Philadelphia Phillies (8-18) are worse.

The Mets' season-opening slide could be considered a continuation of the struggles they endured over the final three-plus months of last season. New York had the best record in the bigs at 45-24 through June 12, but they missed the playoffs after stumbling to a 38-55 mark -- the fifth-worst in the game -- the rest of the way.

The Mets' skid began the day after Senga suffered a right hamstring injury covering first base on June 12, 2025. Senga, who was 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA in 13 starts when he got hurt, only missed a month. But that was enough to ruin his rhythm as he went 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA in his final nine starts before ending the season with Triple-A Syracuse.

Senga opened this year allowing four runs over 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts, but he has surrendered 14 runs (13 earned) over 5 2/3 innings in his last two starts. That includes seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings in his most recent appearance on April 17, when he took the defeat in the Mets' 12-4 road loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Senga's start was pushed back from Thursday so he could throw two side sessions.

"This is a guy that's very meticulous about his work and his mechanics and things like that," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday afternoon. "Just got to go out there and do it."

Lorenzen's longest outing of the season helped the Rockies improve to 11-16 and move into position to earn their third series win of the season.

When the Rockies finished 43-119 last season, they didn't win their first series until a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins on June 1-3 -- a trio of wins that improved their record to 12-50. Colorado didn't post its third series win until winning two of three against the Minnesota Twins on July 18-20.

The win Friday -- secured when converted starter Antonio Senzatela got the final five outs while facing just four batters thanks to getting Mark Vientos to line into an inning-ending double play in the eighth -- also improved the Rockies to 4-6 in one-run games this season. Colorado was 3-7 in its first 10 one-run games last season -- a stretch that spanned the first 46 games.

"Any time you are winning more games than last year, there is going to be better energy," said Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer, who replaced Bud Black as skipper last year following Colorado's 7-33 start. "They are playing well right now."

McLean didn't factor into the decision in his most recent start last Tuesday, when he gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings as the Mets fell to the visiting Minnesota Twins, 5-3. He did fan 10 hitters without a walk.

Quintana took the loss in his most recent start last Monday night, when he allowed six runs (four earned) over five innings as the Rockies fell to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, 12-3.

Dollander, who has served as a reliever in all six of his appearances this year, took the defeat last Tuesday after giving up one run over a season-high six innings in the Rockies' 1-0 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres.

Senga is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in three career starts against the Rockies. McLean has never opposed Colorado.

Quintana, who pitched for the Mets from 2023-24, is 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA in five starts against his former club. Dollander absorbed the defeat in his lone previous start against New York last June 8, when he allowed five runs over three innings in the Rockies' home 13-5 loss.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 9:51 PM.