After another successful home stand, the Mets fly out West to Colorado before heading to Houston. At 11-8, the Mets have to build some momentum on this road trip.

The Rockies and Astros both present very winnable matchups for the Mets, and when you consider the Mets will see Arizona-Philadelphia-Miami-Milwaukee-Cincinnati-Toronto. Six teams that many predicted would be in a playoff chase in 2012.

Before they look ahead, they need to take care of the Rockies first.

Friday, 8:40 pm: Chris Schwinden v. Drew Pomeranz

In 4 big league starts, Schwinden went 0-2 with a 4.17 ERA, striking out 17 batters and walking 6 in 21 innings of work. This year, Schwinden’s control has been slightly off the mark in AAA. In 4 starts he’s allowed 9 walks, striking out just 13 on his way to a 2-2 record with a 2.05 ERA.

Pomeranz is a highly touted young arm for Colorado after he was dealt in the Ubaldo Jiminez deal. At 23, he’s had 6 big league starts and has yet to really show he’s worth the hype this year.

He looks like a solid prospect though, and when the Mets face young arms they’ve never seen, I almost expect them to get shut down. I don’t know what it is, it just always seems like the Mets do not do well against young starters that don’t have a lot of experience.

Tonight, it’s possible the Mets could once again have an all homegrown lineup with Schwinden on the mound.

Saturday, 8:10pm Dillon Gee v. Jeremy Guthrie

Guthrie has been labeled the Rockies #1 starter, but he’s obviously not unbeatable. I’d say I’m pretty confident that Dillon Gee can go toe-to-toe with a guy like Guthrie.

This is a big start for Gee. With Pelfrey being done for the year, Gee is the guy that needs to step up.  After getting pummeled by the Giants, Gee will hopefully revert back to his April 16th ways when he went 7 innings, allowing 4 hits to Atlanta.

Gee has never faced Colorado, and the Mets have seen very little of Guthrie. When the Mets have seen Guthrie they are 2-0 against him.

Sunday, 3:10pm Johan Santana v. Jamie Moyer

What an interesting pitching matchup! You’ve got the 49 year old, and a guy trying to return to his former dominant days.

Santana is 2-0 against the Rockies, not allowing a single earned run against them. Meanwhile Moyer has seen the Mets plenty. He’s 10-6 with a 3.94 ERA.

In 56 plate appearances, David Wright has a .415 average with 4 HR and 14RBI against Moyer. That is a matchup you know old man river is circling and trying to avoid.

Summary

This stadium is the scene of the crime for Ike Davis. He and Wright collided at the mound, which lead to Davis missing the rest of the year.

The Mets matchup pretty well in this series. There isn’t a pitching matchup where I feel worried about their chances.

Michael Cuddyer has looked like the Cuddyer of old since joining Colorado. He, along with Tulowitzki are providing some nice run support for their pitchers.

CarGo continues to look like 2010 was a fluke.

We continue to wait for Davis to break out of his slump, facing two lefties may not be the best medicine for that. I’m curious to see if he will sit down against Moyer if he’s still struggling.

It’d be nice to get Johan a win here, since he’s 0-2 and really should be 2-1.

This team is fun to watch, we take it a game at a time right now. This is a road trip that should provide the Mets with 4 wins minimum in my opinion.

OVER/UNDER RUNS: (3-1 for the season) Tonight’s over/under is set pretty high at 9.5. Obviously it’s due to the young starters on the hill. A high over/under usually means I go low here. For the series, with the remaining matchups I’ll set the over/under at 22.5 and go over.

METS POTS: Taking DWright here. I think he plays well out there, and his numbers against Moyer tell me that he can carry the team to a win.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON: You always have to be weary of Tulo, but I’m going to pick a wildcard here and snag Dexter Fowler.

I’LL BE DRINKING A: Tonight, I’ll be working an event that features 2 crooners and some top shelf alcohol. This event single handedly raises roughly $20,000 in one night. So, water tonight but tomorrow, we’ll go with Long Trail Amber for the win!

Enjoy the series, and Let’s Go Mets!