After losing three of four games against the Cincinnati Reds, the Colorado Rockies begin their final series of the proverbial first half heading into the All-Star break with a three-game set against the New York Mets.

The Rockies’ offense practically disappeared in Cincinnati, as they failed to string together hits and overcome an abundance of strikeouts. There was also a matter of the bullpen struggling. Colorado has a 33-61 record overall, a 13-34 record in road games, and an 18-42 record in games when they have given up at least one home run.

The Mets enter the game as one of the hottest teams in baseball over the past month. Thanks to some magic from Grimace, the purple McDonald’s creature, and offensive boosts from some unlikely players, the Mets New York have a 47-45 record overall and a 24-25 record in home games while they have gone 23-10 since June 3.

Pitching Probables*

7/12: Tanner Gordon (0-1, 7.11 ERA) vs. Sean Manaea (5-3, 3.43 ERA)

The stat line may not show it, but Tanner Gordon pitched quite well in his major league debut at Coors Field. The right-hander gave up five runs over 6 1/3 innings with four of those runs coming in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals. The promising debut was highlighted by the fact that he pounded by the zone where he threw 62 of his 78 pitches for strikes. It was the highest percentage of strikes by a starter this season for the Rockies and he threw a first-pitch strike nearly 80% of the time in that game. It was a good enough performance that they are giving him at least one more look right now.

In his first year with the Mets, Sean Manaea has enjoyed some favorable success. The lefty has consistently worked five or six innings and allowed three earned runs or less in all but three starts this season. His main issue has been walks as he is on a crash course to surpass his career-high in walks quite easily. He enters the game coming off a start in which he tossed six scoreless against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

7/13: Ryan Feltner (1-8, 5.29 ERA) vs. Christian Scott (0-2, 4.15 ERA)

Over his past three starts, Ryan Feltner has shown some consistency and growth he sorely needed. In his last outing against the Reds he threw seven innings, giving up one earned run on four hits in seven innings with six strikeouts and three walks. It was his first three-walk start of the year but it was the type of start that should have netted him a win if the offense and the bullpen had held up their end of the bargain.

The Mets will turn to rookie Christian Scott to make his eighth start of the year. Scott has been reliable on the mound as he’s regularly worked into the sixth inning. He doesn’t have the biggest strikeout numbers but he is in the zone and doesn’t walk batters which has helped him be successful. In his last outing he allowed two runs on one hit in 5 2/3 innings against the Pirates.

7/14: Cal Quantrill (6-7, 4.13 ERA) vs. Jose Quintana (4-5, 3.91 ERA)

There is a very real possibility that the Rockies will opt to activate Germán Márquez from the 60-day injured list and make his 2024 debut in the series finale after recovering from Tommy John surgery. If they choose to start him after the All-Star break, then Cal Qunatrill will get the nod and try to redeem himself from a rough start against the Reds where he lasted just two innings and gave up five runs as he struggled to grip the ball before a rain delay ended his evening. He’s been the best starter for the Rockies this year but after that last outing saw his ERA balloon over four.

After a shaky May and some course correction in June, veteran lefty Jose Quintana has put together two strong starts in July. This month he has thrown 14 scoreless innings, giving up just five hits with six strikeouts and four walks. He has been much more comfortable at home and this will be his first start this month that won’t come against the Washington Nationals, though the Rockies aren’t much of a difference at the end of the day.

Probables are subject to change

Players to watch

Pete Alonso has 21 doubles and 18 home runs for the Mets. Brandon Nimmo is 11-for-38 with three doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.

Ryan McMahon leads the Rockies with 14 home runs while slugging .450. Brenton Doyle is 16-for-33 with five doubles, six home runs and 12 RBI over the past 10 games.

Injuries

Mets: Jose Iglesias: day-to-day (sick), 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), Shintaro Fujinami: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kodai Senga: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ronny Mauricio: 60-Day IL (knee)

Rockies: Josh Rogers: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Kris Bryant: 10-Day IL (rib), Jordan Beck: 10-Day IL (wrist), Lucas Gilbreath: 60-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Bard: 60-Day IL (knee), German Marquez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Antonio Senzatela: 60-Day IL (elbow)