MLB Game Preview - NY Mets at Colorado

Wed Sep 18, 2019 3:10 PM EDT

Noah Syndergaard has pitched well against the Colorado Rockies over his five-year career, but he's never been tested in the thin air in Denver.

He'll get his first taste of it when the New York Mets take on the Rockies in the finale of a three-game series at Coors Field on Wednesday. Syndergaard (10-8, 4.15 ERA) will try to keep New York's dwindling playoff hopes alive in the hitter-friendly park.

New York sits four games back of the second NL wild card with 11 games remaining.

The Mets beat Colorado 6-1 on Tuesday night, so the teams have split the first two games of the series. Rockies will send Jeff Hoffman to the mound in search of his second straight win.

Syndergaard is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four career starts against Colorado, all of them coming at Citi Field. His first start at Coors Field will come with the Mets granting one of his requests -- that Rene Rivera or Tomas Nido serve as his batterymate. Syndergaard has lobbied to have one of them catch his games, as opposed to Wilson Ramos.

Syndergaard wanted the arrangement based on performance. In 16 starts with Ramos as his catcher, Syndergaard has a 5.20 ERA. In 11 combined starts with Nido (10) and Rivera, he has a 2.22 ERA.

It took some pleading by Syndergaard for the Mets to finally agree to work with him. Even last week, the team was reluctant to grant his request.

"Noah obviously understands at this point that whoever is in the lineup, he's going to go ahead and compete (with). He's recognized that to me," manager Mickey Callaway said. "I think that he's recognized that to everybody, and I'm proud of him for that."

Nido was behind the plate when Syndergaard went seven innings in a 6-1 win over Colorado on June 9. Hoffman was on the business end of that game, allowing all six runs in 4 2/3 innings. The loss was during Hoffman's stretch of eight major league starts without a win, but the right-hander snapped out of it against San Diego on Friday night.

Hoffman (2-6, 7.03 ERA) beat the Padres despite walking six and giving up four runs in 5 1/3 innings. He hopes to ride the momentum into his outing against the Mets on Wednesday.

It will be the sixth appearance and fourth start against the Mets in Hoffman's career. He is 1-1 with an 8.66 ERA in the first five outings against them. New York has hit him hard, getting 23 hits and 17 runs in just 17 2/3 innings in those games.

The Rockies are headed to an early offseason for the first time since 2016. They reached the playoffs two consecutive years as a wild card and in 2018 advanced to the divisional round before being swept by Milwaukee.

This September, they are trying to damage New York's playoff hopes.

"When you're out of it, that's the only thing you can look forward to is trying to play spoiler," Colorado utility man Garrett Hampson said. "It's a little bit sweeter when you beat a team that's in the playoff hunt."

--Field Level Media