(Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)

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

On Saturday afternoon against the visiting Colorado Rockies, the Mets will need the right-hander to snap his slump to ensure New York doesn't risk falling into another tailspin.

Senga (0-3, 8.83 ERA) is slated to face his former teammate, Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana (0-2, 6.23), in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Michael Lorenzen tossed seven strong innings and Troy Johnston had what proved to be the decisive two-run single in the seventh in the Rockies' 4-3 win on Friday.

The loss halted a modest two-game winning streak for the Mets, who snapped a 12-game skid with Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

The early-season slide is just a continuation of the struggles the Mets endured over the final three-plus months of last season. New York had the best record in the majors at 45-24 through June 12 but missed the playoffs after stumbling to a 38-55 mark the rest of the way.

The Mets' slump began last season on the day after Senga suffered a right hamstring injury covering first base. Senga, who was 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA in 13 starts when he was injured, missed only a month of action but went 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA in his final nine starts before ending the season with Triple-A Syracuse.

Senga opened this season by allowing four runs over 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts, but he's surrendered 14 runs (13 earned) over just 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, a 12-4 setback to the Chicago Cubs on April 17.

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 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 from June 1-3 -- a trio of wins that improved them to 11-50. Colorado didn't record its third series win until taking two of three games against the Minnesota Twins from July 18-29.

'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 following Colorado's 7-33 start. 'They are playing well right now.'

Quintana, who pitched for the Mets from 2023-24, took the loss in his most recent start on Monday, when he gave up six runs (four earned) over five innings as the Rockies fell 12-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Senga is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in three career starts against the Rockies, while Quintana is 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA in five starts against New York.

--Field Level Media