Orioles at Mets
The New York Mets need to find a way to get their offense untracked as they prepare to host the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday in the opener of a two-game interleague set. New York is coming off back-to-back 1-0 home losses to the Washington Nationals to tumble to 3-7 since tying a franchise record with an 11-game winning streak.
The Mets dropped 1-0 games on consecutive days for the first time since 1990 and have scratched out only 12 runs during a 1-5 stretch. “As we said when we won 11 in a row: Hey, we’re going to have a downtime,” New York manager Terry Collins told reporters. “We didn’t think it was going to be right away, but we’re going to have one. You’ve just got to play through it.” The Orioles are playing through adversity of their own, winning two of three at Tampa Bay after the series was shifted to Florida due to security concerns following the rioting in Baltimore. Center fielder Adam Jones went 4-for-4 with a tiebreaking two-run single Sunday to push his American League-leading batting average to .402.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Bud Norris (1-2, 12.18 ERA) vs. Mets RH Bartolo Colon (4-1, 3.31)
Although he received tons of run support, Norris turned in a much-needed solid start versus Boston last time out, allowing three runs over a season-high 6 2/3 innings to earn his first victory. The 30-year-old Californian was shelled by Toronto for nine runs in his previous outing and had failed to go beyond five innings in his first three starts. Norris is 1-1 with a 4.68 ERA in five career starts versus New York.
Colon is fewer than three weeks shy of his 42nd birthday but the burly Dominican is showing no signs of his age despite coming off his first loss, when he permitted four runs in 6 2/3 innings at Miami. Colon has worked at least six innings in each of his five starts and has walked only one while striking out 25 in 32 2/3 innings. Colon has made 27 appearances (26 starts) against the Orioles, going 12-8 with a 3.25 ERA.
WALK OFFS
1. Jones is the first Orioles player to record three four-hit games in the first 23 contests of a season.
2. Mets SS Wilmer Flores, who sat the past two games following a 2-for-20 slump, is expected to return to the starting lineup.
3. New York has won the past six meetings against Baltimore.