Mets Finally Won a Road Series and They're Heading to Colorado Hungry For More

The New York Mets caught a break this week, and they desperately needed one. After stumbling out of the gates with a 10-21 record, New York just grabbed its first road series win since early April, taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels. Now they're heading to Denver to face the struggling Colorado Rockies in a three-game set starting Monday, and momentum is something this team can't afford to waste.

Vientos Waking Up at the Plate

The Mets' offense has been a nightmare to watch. New York has scored just 118 runs, second fewest in all of baseball ahead of only the San Francisco Giants' 106. That changes if guys like Mark Vientos keep doing what he did on Sunday: he smashed a pair of two-run homers in a 5-1 win that kept the West Coast road trip from being a total disaster.

"I think that's the name of the game, putting yesterday in the past," Vientos said. "We have to focus on the right now."

Manager Carlos Mendoza agrees. "That's our goal, to start winning series," he said. "That's what it's going to take for us to get to where we want to be. One series at a time, one game at a time."

Peterson's Homecoming Gets Real Monday

The Mets will deploy an opener on Monday before David Peterson takes over. The left-hander is a 30-year-old Denver native who's been struggling, posting a 0-4 record with a 6.53 ERA. In his last three starts, Peterson hasn't even made it through four innings. Last Wednesday against Washington, he gave up seven runs on five hits in just 3 2/3 frames in a 14-2 blowout.

The good news for Peterson? He crushes Colorado. In four previous starts against his hometown Rockies, he's 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA. This matchup is the fifth time he'll face them.

Colorado will counter with offseason acquisition Tomoyuki Sugano, who's been their stopper at 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA. The 36-year-old right-hander was lights out last Wednesday, throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts in a 13-2 win over Cincinnati. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer raved about Sugano's efficiency. "He set the tone, kept them off-balanced, relied on his offspeed pitches," Schaeffer said. "He was really good, efficient, just like he's been all year."

Sugano faced the Mets once last year, allowing three runs in six innings in a 7-3 win on July 10. The game Monday was moved up three hours due to weather concerns in Denver.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.