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

Kevin Denkey scored twice late in the first half and FC Cincinnati recorded a 2-0 victory over the visiting New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Denkey notched a multi-goal game for the second straight game after scoring twice in Wednesday’s 4-4 draw with New York City Football Club. It was Denkey’s third MLS brace, coming one day shy of the anniversary of his first last April 26 vs. Sporting Kansas City.

Denkey’s second straight big game helped Cincinnati (3-4-3, 12 points) stop a four-game winless slide (0-1-3).

Denkey scored his first goal in the 40th when Cincinnati swiftly moved the ball past midfield towards the end line. Pavel Bucha made a move around New York’s Joyeux Masanka Bungi and spotted Denkey cutting towards the goal.

Denkey eluded a defender and buried a right-footed shot into the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

The 25-year-old finished off a penalty kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time after Evander was fouled by Bungi, beating goalie Ethan Horvath with a perfectly placed shot into the right corner of the net.

Denkey’s goals helped Cincinnati withstand a charge by New York in the second half as goalie Roman Celentano denied Cade Cowell in the 57th, Ronald Donkor in the 63rd and Emil Forsberg a minute later.

Celentano stopped Forsberg again in the 69th and Jorge Ruvalcaba two minutes after that.

Celentano finished with six saves for his second clean sheet this season and 37th of his MLS career.

New York (3-4-3, 12 points) fell to 1-4-3 in its past eight matches. The Red Bulls have conceded 24 goals since opening the season with one-goal wins over Orlando and New England.

The Red Bulls attempted 20 shots but were blanked for the second time this season.

Horvath finished with three saves as Cincinnati had 15 shot attempts.

–Field Level Media

Max Arfsten scored in the fifth minute and Patrick Schulte made three saves to help the Columbus Crew defeat the visiting Philadelphia Union 2-0 on Saturday.

After Arfsten staked the Crew (3-4-3, 12 points) to the lead, an own goal by Union defender Nathan Harriel in the third minute of first-half stoppage time provided the final margin.

The Union (1-7-2, 5 points) had a three-match point streak (1-0-2) stopped while the Crew is 3-1-1 in the past five.

Schulte recorded his second shutout of the season, the other coming March 7 in a 0-0 tie with the Chicago Fire.

The first half began and ended calamitously for the Union, which saw midfielder Jesus Bueno leave with a leg injury sustained at the onset of the sequence leading to the second goal.

Arfsten opened the scoring with his sixth goal contribution (three goals, three assists) in the past six matches for the U.S. World Cup hopeful.

Dylan Chambost sent a long ball out of the back which glanced off Union defender Philippe Ndinga to Arfsten down the right flank and he broke free for the score.

Just over a minute later, Arfsten had another break but Andre Blake made the save.

It wasn’t all in favor of the Crew because 10 minutes later, the Union had numbers heading into the final third and Danley Jean Jacques passed to Milan Iloski on his right but his shot pinged the left post.

Philadelphia nearly made it to the half with a one-goal deficit but a potential scoring opportunity quickly turned the other way.

The Union was on the attack after a turnover but a slide tackle by Seko Bangoura dispossessed Bueno, who stayed down with an injury, and the Crew created a counter with Arfsten once again on the run on the right flank before sending a cross to the box.

Harriel’s clearing attempt went off a sliding Blake and the rebound hit Harriel and went into the goal.

Crew defender Mo Farsi entered for Arfsten in the 81st minute for his first appearance since July 6, 2025, after undergoing sports hernia surgery.

Union defender Japhet Sery Larsen was red-carded in the 90+5 minute for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity.

–Field Level Media