New York Mets Series Preview vs. Tampa Bay Rays August 7th-9th

Which Colon Will We Get?

Aug 3, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

In recent weeks, Bartolo Colon has been tough to stomach for the Mets. His strong start to the season seems like ages ago, as he looks to finally be showing his age. But, once you begin to write off the 17-year veteran, he fires a gem. But, right when you think he might be turning it around, he throws up another clunker that has fans questioning just how long he will be a member of the starting rotation for.

His spot in the rotation is probably safe, but it would be nice to see Colon put together consecutive strong starts. For the majority of his last eight starts, Colon has alternated good and bad starts. He gave up six and four earned runs in consecutive starts that made Mets fans grow. He followed those up with seven shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs and two runs in six innings against the San Francisco Giants that the offense failed to pick him up in.

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He was getting back into the good graces, but then threw up an ugly game against the St. Louis Cardinals, giving up seven earned runs. He would bounce back with an extremely strong start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up one run in eight innings but getting saddled with the loss again. The good vibes were short lived again, as he surrendered six runs in 2 ⅓ innings to the offensively challenged Padres only to fire a gem against the Marlins in his most recent start, throwing eight innings and surrendering only one run.

If history is any indication, Colon is in for a rough outing Sunday afternoon in the series finale and matinee against the Rays’ ace Chris Archer. Will he be able to end that streak? His career numbers against the Rays show it will basically be a toss up, as he has modest stats against them in his career, going 9-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 23 starts. But, he has some success at Tropicana Field, where he sports a 3.45 ERA in 12 starts.

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