After an up-and-down series against the division rival Phillies, the Mets are set to host the Cubs for four games at Citi Field. The Mets are still struggling to get their season back on track and have lacked the team explosiveness typically needed to go on a sustained winning streak. At the heart of the Mets' struggles has been their starting pitching, especially at the top of the rotation. The backend of the Mets' rotation appears to be solidified now with the re-emergence of Sean Manaea and the impending return of the steady Christian Scott, but the front-end of the Mets' group has been an issue. Rookie Nolan McLean seems to be on the other side of his incredible struggles from late May and early June, but the issues have come to a head for ace Freddy Peralta. His 2025 campaign has been anything but ace-like. Let's take a look at who the Mets are going to run out there with their season on the brink and who the Cubs are projected to throw. Note: the Cubs haven't announced their finale starter, so that game will be based on my projections. Monday, June, 22 (7:10 p.m. ET) : Kodai Senga (0-5, 9.00 ERA) vs Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.26 ERA)Kodai Senga, who has been brutal this year, is set to face off with his countryman Shota Imanaga in the opening game of this series. This is Senga's second start off the injured list, which could allow him to find more success and a deeper start. If he struggles, all options could be on the table for manager Carlos Mendoza. Kodai Senga needs a strong performance if the Mets want to open the series with a victory. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesImanaga has found more success than Senga this year but is having an up-and-down season as he is set to hit the free-agent market this winter. Once the ace of this team, he has settled into a secondary role in their rotation, but could be the key to a Cubs' playoff run. Game 1 advantage: Cubs Tuesday, June 23: Nolan McLean (4-4, 3.67 ERA) vs Edward Cabrera (4-4, 5.21 ERA)Nolan McLean is fresh off arguably the best start of his season after he dominated the Reds to the tune of just one unearned run last week. He's now up to a 2-0 record with a 1.64 ERA in his last four starts, striking out 22 batters in as many innings. As Peralta continues to struggle, McLean might be the most important Met right now. — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 17, 2026Edward Cabrera was one of the biggest prizes of the offseason, but he has been awful to start his Cubs career. His 5.21 ERA is the highest mark of his career since his rookie season, due in part to homers and a WHIP(1.396) up from last year (1.228), and his strikeouts are considerably down (8.2 per nine innings). Game 2 advantage: Mets Wednesday, June 24 (7:10 p.m. ET): Sean Manaea (1-2, 4.62 ERA) vs Javier Assad (5-1, 3.89 ERA)Manaea has made two consecutive starts for the Mets and has looked like the pitcher who anchored a staff that came up just short in the 2024 National League Championship Series. In 11 1/3 innings over two starts, the veteran lefty has allowed just four earned runs, walked just one, and struck out 11. It is the best he has looked since the end of 2024, and it gives the Mets a ton of hope for the rest of his contract. Meanwhile, Javier Assad has bounced back and forth between being a traditional starter and a reliever, but has still found solid success this year. As a starter, Assad owns a 3.95 ERA over five starts, but has only allowed two runs over his past three appearances (two starts). Both starters here are looking to find a way to stick around in their team's rotation. Game 3 advantage: even Thursday, June 25 (7:10 p.m. ET): Freddy Peralta (5-6, 4.83 ERA) vs Ben Brown (4-2, 1.85 ERA)The Mets-Cubs series finale bills itself as a struggling veteran starter against a surging young starter. There is not much else to be said about Peralta, and he will need to right the ship in a major way to avoid even more scrutiny and questions around him. He just surrendered 10 earned runs to the Phillies on Saturday, skyrocketing his ERA to 4.83 on the year, with his 2019 performance (5.29) only being worse. Freddy Peralta answers what he is most unhappy about in his outing tonight:"Everything in general, but only being able to throw 2+ innings" pic.twitter.com/H4VvkvvuZj— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 21, 2026Although it isn't official, the Cubs will likely start Ben Brown here, considering it will be six days since he started against the Blue Jays.Brown was shifted to the rotation a handful of weeks back and has been stellar since the move. In eight starts this year, Brown owns a 1.70 ERA with a WHIP of 0.898, showing exactly why he was a first-round selection in 2017. The Cubs have been waiting for him to become a legitimate MLB starter since acquiring him in exchange for veteran reliever David Robertson, and he is blooming into that and more in front of their eyes. Game 4 advantage: Cubs Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow