Morning Links: Rockies News 5/1

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies return home Thursday night. Coming off a successful 4-2 road trip to Los Angeles and Arizona, they will face some tough pitching match-ups against a surprisingly successful New York Mets team. With their road record hovering right at .500 thus far and some nice offensive showings away from Coors Field, life is pretty darn good for the Rockies these days.

It isn’t all good news for the Rockies, however. Rex Brothers continues to struggle mightily, blowing a two run lead in the 9th inning of Wednesday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks. Tyler Chatwood is on the disabled list with a right elbow strain. If not for the return of Jhoulys Chacin to the rotation this weekend, things might be looking pretty grim on the injuries front.

Here’s what else is happening with the Rockies and around the league.

From Jesse Sanchez: Rockies aim to stay strong at home vs. Mets (MLB.com)

"The Rockies are 8-4 at home entering Thursday’s series opener against the Mets. They are 8-8 in their first 16 road games of the season. Last season, the Rockies finished 45-36 at home and 29-52 on the road…“…Because of Wednesday’s rainout in Philadelphia, the Mets will shift their rotation back one day, pushing right-hander Bartolo Colon, who was scheduled to start Wednesday’s game, to Thursday. Colon will be followed by Zack Wheeler, Jenrry Mejia and Dillon Gee in the four-game series.”"

From Danny Abriano: The Mets outfield decision should be simple (Rising Apple)

"In actuality, there is one guy you can point your finger at and say ‘hey, you’re not playing’ to. That guy is Eric Young, Jr.In Collins’ current plan, though, he may sit Curtis Granderson just as often as he sitsEric Young, Jr. That simply doesn’t make any sense.Curtis Granderson, because of his track record, and the expectation that he’ll be one of the main suppliers of power in the lineup, should be playing every day.”"

From Dayn Perry: This week in overreactions: Cards aren’t clutch; Bryce is a bust (Eye on Baseball)

"On that front, though, some perspective is in order. Yes, we keep expecting Harper to set the world afire with his violent left-handed swing, and that’s yet to happen on a sustained basis. Still, he owns a career weighted runs created+ (wRC+) of 128 across 1,185 big-league plate appearances. That’s strong production. As well, Harper — seemingly despite how long he’s been planted in the baseball consciousness — is still just 21 years of age and won’t turn 22 until the playoffs are going on. That’s the age at which most players are still in High-A ball.”"