(SportsNetwork.com) - Juan Nicasio will try to avoid a second straight loss on Thursday night when the Colorado Rockies return home to begin a four-game set with the New York Mets.
Nicasio opened the season 2-0 through four starts before suffering a road loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. He gave up a season-high five earned runs on eight hits over just 4 1/3 innings, with his earned run average lifting to 5.27.
The right-hander also gave up two homers for a second straight start, an issue he will need to fix ahead of an outing in Coors Field.
"I didn't have good command of my fastball," Nicasio admitted. "I got behind hitters. I have to have better command of my fastball. Then I can throw strikes."
Nicasio, 27, has faced the Mets just once before in his career and he earned an 8-4 victory at home over them on April 16 of last year. That win came despite Nicasio allowing four runs on six hits, two homers and two walks over five innings.
For his career, Nicasio is 1-5 versus teams from the NL East with a 7.01 ERA in 11 starts.
The Rockies are coming off a 4-2 road trip, just missing out on a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks after Wednesday's 5-4 setback in 10 innings.
Colorado led for much of the game as Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the first inning and starter Jordan Lyles homered to begin a two-run third frame.
Lyles also yielded just one run over six innings, but the bullpen faltered and the Diamondbacks forced extra innings with Martin Prado's two-out, two-run single in the ninth off Rex Brothers before Miguel Montero's walk-off homer in the 10th off Tom Kahnle.
"One pitch away from that game being in the books, no doubt about it. I didn't execute, bottom line," said Brothers.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado continues to execute at the plate for the Rockies as he had a hit on Wednesday and is batting .358 with six doubles, two homers and nine RBI over a 20-game hitting streak.
Arenado is 3-for-13 in four games versus the Mets and has never faced Bartolo Colon, who will start this game for New York after the club's contest with the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday as postponed due to rain.
Colon instead will go tonight for the Mets and he halted a two-start losing streak with a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The 40-year- old righty allowed one run on four hits over seven innings, striking out a season-high eight without a walk.
Colon is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA on the season and has won both of his previous career starts versus the Rockies despite allowing seven runs over 11 2/3 innings for a 5.40 ERA.
New York comes into this series 15-11, putting the club four games over .500 for the first time since July 14, 2012, and the Mets won 15 games in the month of April for the first time since 2007.
The Mets may activate outfielder Juan Lagares from the disabled list prior to this game. He has been out since April 15 with a strained right hamstring and will bolster and outfield that currently features Curtis Granderson, Chris Young and Eric Young Jr.
Though the Mets swept the Rockies in three games at home last season, they lost three of four in Colorado.
[SportsNetwork.com]
