PHOENIX -- The Mets arrived in the desert on Monday looking to string together a three-game winning streak for the first time in more than a month and gain ground in the National League Wild Card race. However, yet again, struggles against the lowly D-backs arose.
Arizona pounded out a 10-6 win at Chase Field, improving to 4-0 against the Mets this season after sweeping a three-game set in New York last week. Jake Lamb, Welington Castillo, Chris Owings and Yasmany Tomás each drove in two runs to help snap the D-backs' three-game losing streak.
"Offense was outstanding, they kept coming," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "We talked about that, try to score every inning, and it was very impressive."

Mets starter Bartolo Colon (10-7) took the loss, allowing five runs (two earned) on nine hits in four innings. Colon has beaten 29 Major League teams in his 19-year career -- all but the D-backs. New York fell to .500 for the third time in five days.
Arizona starter Robbie Ray (6-11) notched the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts in five innings.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Welcome back, Welington: Castillo hadn't played since Aug. 6 after not accompanying the D-backs on their six-game road trip through New York and Boston. He stayed in Phoenix following complications with the birth of his son. But all is well with mom and baby and the Arizona catcher returned to go 4-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs and two doubles. The four hits matched a career high, previously set on April 18, 2013.
"I'm a really positive guy," Castillo said. "When they say, 'Play ball,' my mind's like, 'Don't try to do too much. You've been doing this your whole life, it's not like it's your first time.' So I just went out there and tried to have fun." More >

Colon limited to one feat: Colon attempted to become the 18th pitcher in Major League history to beat all 30 teams. Instead, he was charged with five runs on nine hits in four innings for the defeat. He walked two and struck out one, but he also drew a walk, the first of his career after a record 281 plate appearances. The game was the 500th of his career.
"He's an amazing guy. He's a better athlete than people give him credit for," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "What he's done and how he's reinvented himself and how he stays within his own game is amazing." More >

Off to another good start: Despite all of the D-backs' struggles this season, one thing they have done well is score early. They tagged Colon for three unearned runs in the first on RBI singles by Lamb, Castillo and Owings. Arizona has scored 79 first-inning runs, second-most in the NL.
"We came out swinging the bats really well," Ray said. "It was good to see the bats come alive like that and get that kind of run support early. That was huge."

Baby Walker: Mets second baseman Neil Walker is the hottest hitter in the lineup, but it's uncertain whether he will be in the lineup Tuesday.
The reason? Walker's wife, Niki, is due to give birth to the couple's first child on Tuesday in Pittsburgh and the veteran is expecting a phone call that will send him on a three-day paternity leave. The infielder made the most of his night on Monday, going 3-for-5, including a home run in the ninth inning. More >

QUOTABLE
"On the nights he has a bad night, he shakes it off and goes about the next time out and hopes he has better command. He's absolutely saved us. We had no anticipation of him still being in the rotation at this time of the year, and yet, there he is. And not only that, but with more wins than anybody on the staff. We are very, very lucky we got him." -- Collins, on Colon

WHAT'S NEXT
Mets:Noah Syndergaard, who is averaging 18.8 pitches per inning over his last five starts, threw 91 pitches in a five-inning outing against the D-backs in his last start, a 9-0 loss in New York. The Mets are hoping for a more efficient performance when he takes the hill on Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. ET at Chase Field.
D-backs: Five days after throwing seven scoreless innings against the Mets in New York, D-backs rookie Braden Shipley faces them again on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. MST at Chase Field. Shipley, ranked by MLB Pipeline as Arizona's No. 1 prospect, has allowed just two runs over his last 19 innings.
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