The New York Mets (5-3, 1-2 away) and the Colorado Rockies (3-10, 3-4 home) kick off a three-game weekend series Friday night in Colorado. New York’s Thursday contest against the Phillies was postponed, while the Rockies fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-5.
Friday’s first pitch is at 8:40 p.m. EST at Coors Field in Denver, CO. The National League contest can be viewed on ESPN+. According to oddsmakers, the Mets are heavily favored (-260) in the matchup, and the run total is at 10.
What to Know – New York Mets
New York has won four of its last five, including three-straight as they enter the weekend. The Mets swept the Phillies to take control of the NL East standings.
Jacob deGrom (0-1, 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP) was slated to start Thursday’s contest against Philadelphia, but due to the postponement, the Rockies get a shot at the two-time Cy Young winner. The right-hander has two starts under his belt this season and hopes to receive better run support in his third start.
The Mets offense comes into the weekend with a .252 team batting average and scoring 3.2 runs per game. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo was on fire over the last two games of the series against the Phillies, going 6-for-9 at the plate to boost his batting average to .464 this season.
New York has only five home runs through the first two weeks of the season, last in the majors. First baseman Dominic Smith has two of the five while also pacing the Mets’ offense with six RBI.
What to Know – Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are on a six-game slide after getting swept in a pair of three-game series to the San Francisco Giants and the Dodgers. Colorado’s record has dropped them to the last place in the NL West and already eight games behind the division leader.
Colorado turns to Chi Chi Gonzalez (1-0, 3.60 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) on the mound for the Rockies. Gonzalez appeared out of the bullpen in his first two appearances of the year before making his first start last week against the Giants. The righty hurled 5.0 innings, scattering four hits, allowing one earned run, three walks, and one strikeout.
Second baseman Ryan McMahon is off to a hot start the dish for the Rockies. McMahon is hitting .306 (15-of-49) with six home runs, ten RBI, and nine runs. As a team, Colorado is batting .224, averaging 4.2 runs per game.
Both McMahon and outfielder Garrett Hampson left the yard with solo shots in Thursday’s game against the Dodgers. Hampson, known chiefly for his speed on the base paths, leads the Rockies in stolen bases (4) and runs (10).
The Pick is In
The struggling Rockies just got beaten up by the defending World Series champions and now get to face a two-time Cy Young winner. New York is trending up after a series sweep against the Phillies.
Colorado will eventually break their losing streak, but it won’t be Friday night against deGrom and the Mets. The Mets take game one of the weekend series, 6-3.
The Pick: New York Mets -1.5
