NEW YORK — The Mets' game against the Rockies on Wednesday night at Citi Field was postponed due to ugly weather expected later in the night.
A seven-inning doubleheader against Colorado was scheduled for Thursday, with first pitch at 12:10 p.m. The second game will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Tickets to Thursday’s doubleheader are single admission.
Marcus Stroman (3-4, 2.75 ERA) was slated to start Wednesday in his 10th outing of the year. He will be moved back one day and start Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday, followed by left-hander Joey Lucchesi (1-3, 7.32 ERA) in Game 2.
There’s no better time for the Mets to benefit from seven-inning games. Even before the postponement, the team had not yet announced a starter for Thursday, but was expected to roll out a bullpen game in the wake of Taijuan Walker’s departure to the injured list with left side tightness.
With Stroman taking the hill in Game 1, the Mets will have less ground to cover with their relief corps in Game 2 if Lucchesi’s outing ends up taking a disastrous turn.
As for the Mets offense, a unit last in MLB in runs per game and RBI, they caught a break.
Dominic Smith was out of the lineup on Wednesday with a bruised right knee. He would’ve been available off the bench, but manager Luis Rojas expected Smith to bounce back relatively quickly from his contusion. Perhaps a full day of rest for Smith will put him back in the lineup on Thursday. Without Smith, the Mets inserted new outfielder Billy McKinney into the cleanup spot on Wednesday.
While the Mets have 17 players on the injured list, the more postponements and seven-inning doubleheaders, the better.
