It was a tough roadtrip for the Colorado Rockies during their trip to California. After they were swept in four games by the San Francisco Giants they took two games from the Los Angeles Angels before losing two of three to the San Diego Padres. Starting pitching was generally better during the latter part of the trip but inconsistencies from the lineup mixed in with continued bullpen struggles made for yet another difficult trip away form Coors Field. The Rockies now head home to Coors Field where they have 24 victories and look to build on their comforts at home.

The Mets have been surging and enjoyed an offensive outburst recently and will look to build upon it as a playoff spot is still in reach for them as a club. Despite injuries that have hindered the rotation, they were active at the deadline trying to sure up some spots. The two teams took turns beating down the other offensively in their last series in New York and odds are could do so again in the confines of Coors Field.

Pitching Probables
8/6: Luis Severino (7-4, 3.93 ERA) vs. Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.64 ERA)

Luis Severino has turned in a fairly solid first year with the Mets. He turned in his worst start of the year last time out against the Minnesota Twins, allowing six runs on six hits, including two homers, while lasting just three innings. However, Severino has been able to turn in a strong outing following some of his clunkers this season so history could be on his side, but he will have to deal with pitching at Coors Field.

Kyle Freeland has been excellent since coming back from the injured list in June and he finished July with seven innings of one-run ball against the  Angels. Freeland has been quite comfortable at home this season where he’s posted a 1.88 ERA over 24 innings across four starts. He has allowed more than two runs in a start just once since the end of June.

8/7: Paul Blackburn (5-2, 4.11 ERA) vs. Ryan Feltner (1-10, 4.97 ERA)

Acquired from Oakland at the trade deadline, Paul Blackburn dazzled in his Mets debut, tossing six innings and allowing just one run against the Angels on August 2. He has made one career start against the Rockies where he allowed two runs over six innings with seven strikeouts.

Though the overall numbers may not reflect it, Ryan Feltner has been quite excellent since the start of July. Over his last seven starts, Feltner has a 2.88 ERA over 40 2/3 innings with 33 strikeouts. He has battled his command a bit, but he’s been able to work around them with strikeouts. In his last outing, he turned in a quality start against the Angels.

8/8: David Peterson (5-1 3.47 ERA) vs. Austin Gomber (3-7, 4.66 ERA)

David Peterson will headline the Mets in the battle of the lefties. After missing the first two months of the year, Peterson has settled in nicely and has been a nice boost for the Mets rotation. He has worked at least four innings in all 11 starts and has turned in five quality starts. In his last outing against the Angels, he allowed two runs over six innings of work with four strikeouts and one walk.

July was a regression to the median for Austin Gomber as he allowed four runs in three of his five starts. He kicked off August with a much better start against the Padres where he allowed two runs over seven innings with six strikeouts and one walk. He has a 3.83 ERA at Coors Field this season, so he’s plenty comfortable at home.

Players to watch

Brenton Doyle has 18 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 55 RBI for the Rockies. Jacob Stallings is 11-for-32 with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBI over the last 10 games. Michael Toglia could also be set for a big series after he belted three homers in his last game against the Mets.

Jeff McNeil is 12-for-35 with a home run and five RBI over the past 10 games for the Mets. Francisco Lindor has reached base in five of his first 14 plate appearances in August.

Injuries

Rockies: German Marquez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Nolan Jones: 10-Day IL (back), Lucas Gilbreath: 60-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Bard: 60-Day IL (knee), Antonio Senzatela: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Mets: Kodai Senga: 60-Day IL (calf), Shintaro Fujinami: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Dedniel Nunez: 15-Day IL (pronator), Christian Scott: 15-Day IL (elbow), Reed Garrett: 15-Day IL (elbow), Drew Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Brooks Raley: 60-Day IL (elbow), Starling Marte: 10-Day IL (knee), Sean Reid-Foley: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Ronny Mauricio: 60-Day IL (knee)