Mets Finally Won a Road Series and Now They're Hunting Colorado's Pitching Staff

The New York Mets desperately needed a win to salvage what's been a brutal start to the season, and they finally got one where it mattered most: on the road. After dropping their West Coast trip to the Angels two games to one, the Mets are heading to Denver with actual momentum, ready to take on a Colorado Rockies team that's spiraling hard. This three-game set against the Rockies kicks off Monday and could be the spark New York needs to turn things around.

A Rare Road Victory to Build On

New York's 10-21 record is ugly, but at least they broke through with their first road series win since early April against San Francisco. The Angels series was supposed to be a gut check, and the Mets showed some life, especially Sunday when Mark Vientos launched two two-run homers in a 5-1 victory. The offense has been starving all season, ranking second worst in the majors with just 118 runs scored, ahead of only the Giants' 106. Manager Carlos Mendoza knows the formula now: "That's our goal, to start winning series. 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." Vientos gets it too. "I think that's the name of the game, putting yesterday in the past," he said. "We have to focus on the right now."

Peterson Gets Another Crack at His Hometown Rockies

The Mets plan to use an opener before sending out David Peterson on Monday. Peterson's been a disaster this year, sitting at 0-4 with a 6.53 ERA and unable to get out of the fourth inning in any of his last three starts. On Wednesday against Washington, the 30-year-old Denver native got rocked for seven runs on five hits in just 3 2/3 innings. But here's the weird thing: Peterson owns his hometown team. In four previous starts against Colorado, he's 3-1 with a sparkling 1.99 ERA. Maybe Denver brings out something different in him.

Rockies Trying to Stop the Bleeding

Colorado has dropped five of six since sweeping the Mets back on April 24-26. Last weekend against Atlanta was a complete disaster, the pitching staff giving up 28 runs across a three-game sweep. Manager Warren Schaeffer is turning to offseason addition Tomoyuki Sugano (3-1, 2.84 ERA) in the series opener, which got moved up three hours because of weather. Sugano threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Cincinnati on Wednesday with two strikeouts in a 13-2 win. "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." The 36-year-old signed with Colorado in February after posting a 10-10 record with the Orioles last year. He's seen the Mets once before, giving up three runs over six innings in a 7-3 Orioles win back in July.

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