The Rockies entered Thursday on the verge of being swept at home by the Mets, a result that would have pushed Colorado to a seventh consecutive loss. The final game of the homestand carried extra bite because the Rockies had swept New York in Queens just over a week ago, and this time they were trying to avoid finishing another night with the wrong end of the scoreboard.
José Quintana took the mound for Colorado after a steady outing earlier this season against the Atlanta Braves, when he worked six innings and allowed one earned run on a solo home run with three strikeouts. The left-hander was facing Christian Scott, the 26-year-old Mets starter who reached the majors in 2024 with a 4.56 ERA over nine starts, then missed the entire 2025 season after Tommy John surgery with internal bracing.
Scott’s path back has been uneven but revealing. He began this season at Triple-A Syracuse, then was called up to start twice for New York. His first outing lasted only 1.1 innings; he walked five of the ten batters he faced, hit a batter and even balked. His second was far sharper, with eight strikeouts, no walks and three runs allowed, two earned, on three hits.
The Rockies needed a clean night from Quintana because their bullpen had already shown how fragile a lead could be, giving away the advantage he left with in an eventual loss. That has been the story of Colorado’s slide, not one bad inning but enough missed chances and late damage to turn close games into losses.
Scott had seen the Rockies once before and handled the matchup well enough to leave damage behind, allowing three earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings, with two of those hits leaving the yard. This time, he came in working with a five-pitch arsenal, while Colorado’s own mix — a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a cutter, a sweeper, a sinker and a split finger — reflected the kinds of adjustments both clubs are hunting for as the season settles into its grind.
For the Rockies, game No. 38 was less about the calendar than the count. A loss would have deepened a six-game skid that began in Cincinnati and left them staring at a sweep at home, with no shelter in the final game of the homestand and little margin left to explain away the slide.
