DENVER - When Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Garland isn't throwing heaters, he will be huddled next to one in the dugout.
That's his plan Thursday 鈥� work fast and get off the field and into the warmth even faster.
Garland had his start pushed back a day when the game between the New York Mets and Colorado on Wednesday was postponed as another spring snow storm passed through the Mile High City.
No makeup date has been announced.
The forecast is looking favourable for the series finale on Thursday. Sure, it will be chilly 鈥� a high of 34 degrees 鈥� but snow flurries are moving out.
Not that Garland particularly minds these elements. He will pitch in sun, fog, wind, rain, snow 鈥� basically whatever, as long as he's getting outs.
"If I'm getting outs, I'll pitch anywhere," Garland said Tuesday in the clubhouse as none of the Rockies players showed up to the park on Wednesday.
Given what he's gone through, he's just elated at being able to take the mound at all.
There were days when Garland didn't think he would pitch on this level again after undergoing labrum and rotator cuff surgery that knocked him out for a chunk of 2011 and all of last season.
"Everything feels good," he said when asked about his arm.
As for keeping it loose in the frigid conditions, well, he's not really sure how that will go. He does plan on wearing plenty of layers.
"But you don't want to go out of the norm to where it's uncomfortable for you to get that range of motion, to get that fluid pitching," Garland explained. "Yeah, you try to layer up as much as you can."
What will help most, Garland said, are quick outs.
"You go out there, try to make the best pitches that you can and keep your team off the field," Garland said. "The more you keep them off the field, the more they're standing by the heaters getting warm."
This weather pattern has left the Mets in quite a holding pattern.
So much so that it's becoming a concern for manager Terry Collins, who's worried about his team staying in rhythm in light of all the postponements.
For the third time in four days, the Mets had to hang out in the clubhouse instead of hitting hanging curves.
Lately, waiting on weather reports has become an all too familiar routine for the Mets.
Monday's game was pushed back due to flurries and made up as part of a doubleheader Tuesday that was swept by the Rockies. Just to get that game in, team employees, led by Rockies owner Dick Monfort, shovelled 8 inches of snow off the field.
The dreary weather seems to be following the Mets as wintry conditions forced their game in Minneapolis on Sunday to be rescheduled for Aug. 19.
All this down time is a little unsettling for Collins.
"This is a game of consistency, a game of repetitions," Collins said. "When you lose those reps, it can change the outcome of a lot. ... This has been a tough trip for us. Guys are tired of sitting at the hotel."
To keep his top pitchers on normal rest, Collins will skip Jeremy Heffner on Thursday in favour of Jon Niese. That means Matt Harvey will pitch against Washington's Stephen Strasburg when New York returns home on Friday.
The Rockies certainly haven't minded the cold, mainly because they've been winning. They swept the doubleheader, beating the Mets 8-4 in the opener and 9-8 in 10 innings during the nightcap when the temperature at first pitch was 36 degrees.
"It froze my brain for a little bit," outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said, grinning.
This spring, nothing can cool Gonzalez's bat. He's hitting a team-leading .380 with four homers.
The Mets have employed a move with Gonzalez that the San Diego Padres have been utilizing as well. When the slugger is up, they will shift the infield over, with David Wright moving to the shortstop spot, Ruben Tejada sliding over to the right side of second base and Daniel Murphy relocating closer to first.
"When you're facing CarGo, you let him have some singles to left field, if that's what he wants," Collins said. "If he wants to push bunts, he can have those. Because he'll hit more balls over the fence than he will have bunts."
Gonzalez will simply take whatever the defence wants to give him.
"They think I'm focused on hitting home runs. You know what, I'll take advantage of that. If you want me to take singles, I'll take singles," Gonzalez said. "I know that if you make a mistake, I'm going to hit it over the fence. It doesn't matter if they're playing the shift. I don't think the shift is going to cover the stands."
Notes: The Mets and Rockies both have days off on June 24 and 27 鈥� possible dates to make up the game. ... The postponement gives SS Troy Tulowitzki (elbow) and OF Dexter Fowler (foot) an extra day to heal.
