Colorado @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 10, 2014 ) Colorado 0, NY Mets 2

Jose Reyes made his mark in his first nine seasons with the Mets, becoming a four-time All-Star and winning the National League batting title in his final campaign in New York in 2011. The three-time NL stolen base champion has played for three teams since his departure from the Big Apple and will try to help his latest club – the Colorado Rockies – send his former team to their third straight setback on Monday, when they meet in the opener of a four-game series at Citi Field on Monday.

Reyes batted .292 with 370 steals and scored 735 runs from 2003-11 with the Mets before spending a year in Miami with the Marlins and 2 ½ seasons with Toronto. The 32-year-old, who was the only established veteran of the four-player haul the Rockies received from the Blue Jays in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins on July 28, has gotten off to a bit of a slow start with Colorado, going 8-for-39 while batting exclusively in the No. 2 spot. The Mets used a seven-game winning streak to establish a 1 ½-game lead on Washington atop the NL East but were unable to widen the margin after dropping two one-run decisions at Tampa Bay over the weekend. New York has won six in a row at home against Colorado and is 38-18 this season at Citi Field – tied with the 1985 and 2000 Mets for the best home mark after 56 games in franchise history.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jon Gray (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jonathon Niese (6-9, 3.51)
Gray did not factor in the decision in his major-league debut on Tuesday, yielding three runs (two earned) while allowing five hits and two walks over four innings versus Seattle. The third overall selection in the 2013 draft joined the big-league club after going 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his final six starts at Triple-A Albuquerque. During his brief minor-league career, Gray went 20-11 with a 3.82 ERA in 54 games (53 starts).
Niese logged his 10th quality start in his last 11 trips to the mound Tuesday in Miami, getting the win after holding the Marlins to one run and four hits in seven frames. In those 11 outings, the 28-year-old Ohio native is only 3-4 despite producing a 2.78 ERA. Niese settled for a no-decision in his last start against the Rockies after permitting one run in 6 2/3 innings at Citi Field last September and is 1-3 with a 4.98 ERA in seven career turns versus Colorado.

WALK-OFFS
1. New York CF Yoenis Cespedes is 11-for-34 with four multi-hit performances in eight contests since being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline.
2. Colorado RF Carlos Gonzalez is tied for first in the majors in homers (12) as well as second in RBIs (27) and runs scored (20) since the All-Star break.
3. Mets 3B David Wright (back) - who hasn’t played since April 14 - will start a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Monday, when the team also expects to activate LF Michael Cuddyer (left knee) from the disabled list.

PREDICTION: Mets 5, Rockies 3