Mets look to build a winning streak this weekend against Rockies

The streak finally ended on Wednesday with a 3-2 victory that wasn’t pretty but was extremely necessary. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw both clubs trade runs until the Mets prevailed in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Brett Baty singled, Francisco Alvarez walked, and Mark Vientos, who ran through a stop sign at third earlier in the game, blooped a single to shallow right to drive in the go-ahead run.

Things ended with a wild 10-8 victory on Thursday that saw the Mets blow a 7-2 lead after allowing four runs in the eighth but come back to win on a Bo Bichette bases-clearing double in the eighth. In the game, Brett Baty hit his first home run of the year, a three-run shot in the Coca Cola Corner, while Carson Benge hit his first home runs since Opening Day.

The Mets got two back in the win column as they look to climb out of their early-season hole, and while they got Juan Soto back from a calf injury, they lost Lindor to one. Soto, who only missed about two-and-a-half weeks, played the final two games of the team’s series, going 1-for-6 with three walks. However, Lindor’s injury seems to be much more serious in nature, with the shortstop talking about hopefully returning before the All-Star break. He was just starting to heat up, going 7-for-25 over the last week of play before going down. He had driven in four runs in the series after managing just one run batted in before that.

The Rockies are 4-4 over their last eight games, which includes one win over the Astros, splitting four games against the defending World Series champion Dodgers, and dropping two of three against the Padres.

Mickey Moniak, whom the Phillies selected first overall in 2016, has had a breakthrough season for Colorado after failing to gain traction with the Phillies or the Angels at various points in his career. The 28-year-old leads the club with a 0.8 fWAR, a 182 wRC+, a 1.097 OPS, and eight home runs in 19 games. To date, the center fielder is slashing .324/.347/.750 while scoring 14 runs and driving in 15. Hunter Goodman has also had a strong start for the Rockies, as the All-Star and Silver Slugger-winning catcher has built upon his 2025 success in the early part of this season. He is third on the club with a 128 wRC+ and second with six home runs. He enters play hitting .264/.340/.540 and leads the club with 17 runs scored while placing second with a 0.6 fWAR in 24 games. Troy Johnston is also someone to watch, as the outfielder is second on the team with a 129 wRC+ and third with a 0.5 fWAR in 23 games. He is hitting .325/.381/.481 on the young season.

Friday, April 23: Freddy Peralta vs. Michael Lorenzen, 7:10 PM EDT on WPIX

Peralta (2026): 26.2 IP, 28 K, 10 BB, 4 HR, 4.05 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 105 ERA-

Peralta’s line from his last star is a bit unfair, but he was charged with three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in the end. He walked the last two batters he faced before being lifted for Brooks Raley, who immediately allowed a three-run home run to pinch hitter Carson Kelly, resulting in two of those three runs. In the end, he gave up three hits, walked two, and struck out three as he was saddled with his second loss as a Met. Peralta has yet to have that signature start as a Met, despite not having a truly bad start, either.

Lorenzen (2026): 21.2 IP, 16 K, 6 BB, 4 HR, 7.48 ERA, 5.31 FIP, 164 ERA-

Entering play tonight, Lorenzen has the second-worst ERA among NL starters with at least 20 innings pitched this season. A lot of that is the result of two dreadful starts—nine earned runs in three innings against the Phillies on April 3, and seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Astros on April 14. His last time out, he was slightly better, limiting the damage to three earned runs on seven hits over five innings against the Dodgers. He settled for a no decision, but the Dodgers ended up winning the game.

Saturday, April 25: Kodai Senga vs. Jose Quintana, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY

Senga (2026): 17.1 IP, 22 K, 10 BB, 4 HR, 8.86 ERA, 5.32 FIP, 230 ERA-

Senga was pushed back from pitching on Thursday so he could get some extra rest ahead of his next start, which turned out to be Saturday. Senga had his second straight disastrous, non-competitive outing, which put his spot in the rotation in doubt. Despite that, Carlos Mendoza seemed to suggest that his spot is safe, for now, and that seems to be the case with him starting the middle game of this series. . It’s hard to feel optimistic after he had a second straight outing in which he allowed seven runs. His final line was not quite as bad as his one against the A’s, but it was still not great: he ended up allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits, with three strikeouts and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. Over his last 5 2/3 innings, he’s allowed 14 runs (13 earned) and he has managed just six strikeouts. It’s a far cry from his first two starts, when he allowed four earned runs on nine hits over 11 2/3 frames.

Quintana (2026): 17.1 IP, 4 K, 9 BB, 3 HR, 6.23 ERA, 7.64 FIP, 137 ERA-

I am going to be extremely honest: I had no idea Quintana was pitching for the Rockies. He made one start with his new team and then suffered a right hamstring strain, which kept him out until mid-April. Since returning, he has made two starts, combining to go 8 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 11 hits while suffering the loss in both instances. The walks have reall hurt the left-hander, as he’s issued nine free passes in just 13 innings while striking out just four. His 6.23 BB/9 is the worst among NL starters with at least 10 innings under their belt in 2026, while his 7.64 FIP is third-worst.

Sunday, April 26: Nolan McLean vs. TBD, 1:40 PM EDT on SNY

McLean (2026): 30.1 IP, 38 K, 8 BB, 2 HR, 2.67 ERA, 2.35 FIP, 69 ERA-

For the second time this year, McLean was perfect through five. Unlike the first such instance, the Mets could not pick up the win. McLean tired out in the sixth, allowing a two-run homer to Byron Buxton, and he allowed the tying run on a Luke Keaschall hit in the sixth. All told, he was charged with three earned runs on five hits over 6 2/3. He struck out a season-high ten while not issuing a free pass in the start. Despite the result, it was another strong start for the promising right-hander.

TBD

The Rockies have not named a starter for the Sunday’s game.