Monday, June 22, 2026 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.26) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (0-5, 9.00)
SNY

The Mets are so close to things getting better. Francisco Lindor played a rehab game on Sunday with Tyrone Taylor. Christian Scott had a successful bullpen session. The problem is that the team they are all coming back to is quickly falling apart. In the last three weeks, the Mets have basically played .500 baseball (one game below .500 for June). The starting pitching, on average, hasn’t given the bats a chance. Despite hot streaks from Bichette and Soto, the offense has been stuck in neutral. And now they welcome the Cubs, who have won six of their last ten, to Queens.

Aug 25, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. Carson Benge, RF
  2. Bo Bichette, 3B
  3. Juan Soto, LF
  4. Marcus Semien, 2B
  5. Mark Vientos, 1B
  6. Eric Wagaman, DH
  7. Francisco Alvarez, C
  8. A.J. Ewing, CF
  9. Zack Short, SS

Starting Pitcher: Kodai Senga

Kodai Senga returned to the Mets rotation last week and promptly allowed four runs in the first inning. He settled down after and pitched three scoreless innings to end the night with four innings of work. Over six starts this season, Senga has pitched 24 innings with a 9.00 ERA, 6.81 FIP, 1.875 WHIP and a 46 ERA+. On the positive side, he does have 28 strikeouts. Senga had a rough start against the Cubs in April, allowing seven runs, six earned, over 3 1/3 innings. The Cubs have the following career numbers against him:

  • Alex Bregman 2-5, 2B, K
  • Michael Busch 0-1, BB, K
  • Michael Conforto 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
  • Pete Crow-Armstrong 0-2
  • Ian Happ 2-7, BB, 3 K
  • Nico Hoerner 2-7, HR, BB, 3 K
  • Carson Kelly 0-5, 2 K
  • Seiya Suzuki 2-4, 2B, BB
  • Dansby Swanson 2-7, 2B, BB, 2 K

Opposing Lineup

  1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
  2. Alex Bregman, 3B
  3. Michael Busch, 1B
  4. Seiya Suzuki, DH
  5. Ian Happ, LF
  6. Matt Shaw, RF
  7. Nico Hoerner, 2B
  8. Carson Kelly, C
  9. Dansby Swanson, SS

Shota Imanaga was supposed to pitch on Sunday, but the Cubs got rained out, bumping his start to tonight. Over 15 starts, 86 2/3 innings, Imanaga has a 4.26 ERA, 4.58 FIP, 1.062 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. He’s had a good run recently, allowing only one run over 10 2/3 innings. In his three starts before that, he allowed 18 runs over 17 1/3. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

  • Francisco Alvarez 1-2, HR, K
  • Brett Baty 2-5, HR, K
  • Marcus Semien 1-2, BB
  • Zack Short 0-1, BB, K
  • Juan Soto 0-3
  • Luis Torrens 1-3
  • Mark Vientos 0-5

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Starting Pitcher Struggles. Let’s work backwards to Senga’s last start. Last night, Peterson gave the Mets four innings and allowed five runs. Saturday, Peralta pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing 10 runs. Thursday, Manaea gave the Mets 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs. Wednesday McLean was fantastic, allowing only one run over seven. Last Tuesday, Senga allowed four runs, all in the first inning, over four innings. The Mets are constantly playing from behind right now; it’s exhausting.
  2. Contain PCA. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been demolishing baseball recently. Over his last nine games, he has gone 19-for-38 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs and four stolen bases (.476/.511/1.024). His OPS during this stretch has jumped from .774 to .883. He has a career-high 149 OPS+ this season.
  3. Carson Benge. On June 7, Carson Benge went 5-for-5. In the five games after that, Benge had a mini-slump, going 2-for-18. Since then, over seven games, Benge is hitting .290/.333/.548, including two straight games with a home run.

Let’s go Mets!