Mets' opener in Denver snowed out; split DH Saturday

DENVER -- For the second consecutive season and the fourth time in a decade, the Mets were snowed out of a game in Denver. This one was a bit less expected than the previous three, coming as it did in mid-May.

Yet that was the reality that faced the Mets as they touched down in Colorado late Thursday night. Temperatures in the area, which had soared close to 90 degrees earlier that afternoon, plummeted into the 30s early Friday morning. A steady drizzle fell over the area throughout the day, turning to sleet and snow in the early afternoon.

“You think you’ve got a tough job?” Mets manager Buck Showalter said on Thursday. “Think of [equipment manager] Kevin Kierst trying to pack all the parkas on the plane.”

The Rockies did not wait to postpone Friday’s series opener, scheduling a split doubleheader on Saturday with start times of 3:10 p.m. ET and 8:40 p.m. ET. It will be a tricky proposition, with several inches of snow anticipated overnight. But most forecasts expected the snow to taper off by late morning.

The situation was nothing new for the Mets, who also had a game snowed out in Denver last April. They had two snowouts at Coors Field in April 2013, when then-general manager Sandy Alderson joined Rockies owner Dick Monfort, the Rockies’ mascot Dinger and many others on the field to shovel snow.

Friday’s originally scheduled starter, Carlos Carrasco, will start Game 1 of the doubleheader, followed by Trevor Williams in Game 2. The Mets took several extra players with them to Colorado, including lefty David Peterson, who could give the team length if he is activated for the games. Injuries to Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tylor Megill have the rotation in flux, with Peterson and Williams the two most likely short-term replacements.

Peterson attended high school outside Denver and would be making his first career appearance at Coors Field.

Fans with tickets to Friday’s game can either use them for the 3:10 p.m. ET game on Saturday, exchange them or receive a refund, depending upon their original method of purchase. That transaction must take place before the start of the game. Friday’s tickets are not valid for the 8:40 p.m. ET game on Saturday.