After a full day of rain in New York City on Saturday, the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets will pick things up where they left off, with a Sunday doubleheader to make up for the postponed game.
The Rockies won a close one on Friday night in the city that never sleeps, withstanding some late pressure to take down the Mets 4-3.
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The win felt like a huge relief in a number of ways. For one, it was a nice way to bounce back after dropping a tight, series-deciding game in San Diego on Thursday. The Rocks have kept things competitive fairly often this season, but have wound up on the wrong side of close results. Holding on for a win the day after a blown save feels like a nice spark.
It also put a halt to the momentum New York was trying to build. Entering this series with Colorado, the Mets had just won two straight against the Minnesota Twins after making headlines for a 12-game losing streak. The pressure is now back on.
The win also marked just the fourth road win for the Rockies this year. Signs point to it being a pivotal one.
In promising news (knock on wood), the Rockies only series wins this season — against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road and the Houston Astros at home — came after they took the series opener. Friday’s victory puts them in position to win another.
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Two teams looking for wins will try to do so with two pitchers each looking to bounce back from rough outings in their latest starts.
After some rotation shuffling as a result of the rainout, the Rockies are sticking with Jose Quintana (0-2 in three starts, 6.23 ERA) who was projected to start on Saturday, while the Mets are opting to go with Nolan McLean (1-1 in five starts, 2.67 ERA). Quintana was initially set to faceoff against Kodai Senga, who will instead pitch in the second game of the afternoon.
Quintana’s starts have been shaky to say the least. He’s been vulnerable to early runs and currently has more than double the number of walks (nine) as he does strikeouts (four). In his last game, the 12-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Quintana gave up six runs on eight hits including two home runs, before he was yanked after five innings. Before that, he only made it 3.2 innings in a 3-1 loss against the Houston Astros, giving up all three of those runs on three hits and four walks.
Conversely, McLean has been reliable for deep outings this season, averaging just over 6.0 IP in his five starts. While he hasn’t posted a win since his April 3rd outing against the San Francisco Giants, he has escaped his starts without enduring much damage.
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McLean has given up only three hits a game on average, with only nine earned runs surrendered across those five starts. He’s been good for a ‘K’ as well, striking out eight or more batters in four of his starts. McLean’s last outing was his worst of the season, giving up five hits, three runs, and one homer in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins earlier in the week.
The Rockies offense will likely have to withstand a long day from McLean to garner some much-needed run support for Quintana, who will look to clean things up against a Mets offense that has had its own struggles. While not quite the high-ERA slugfest that Quintana vs. Senga was projected to be, the game one Quintana vs. McLean matchup is an embodiment of two teams trying to find their rhythm.
First Pitch: 11:40 a.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
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Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Mets SB Nation Site: Amazin’ Avenue
Lineups:
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