Things are getting tight between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, even though they are not directly involved in the National League West Division race at this time.
But the Rockies and Giants are in a battle for fourth place in the NL West. This four-game series at Oracle Park, which starts on Thursday night, will be a gauge to see where these teams are right now.
Advertisement
The Giants were almost no-hit by Toronto Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease on Wednesday afternoon, but Heliot Ramos’ single in the bottom of the ninth broke that up. San Francisco, though, did end up losing the game
Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, Colorado finished up its three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. Gabriel Hughes made his first MLB start against a tough Dodgers lineup, and didn’t look too sharp in the first inning.
Can Cole Carrigg keep up his hot hitting at the plate? Will Hunter Goodman have a great series before he heads to the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia? These questions remain to be answered.
Advertisement
Well, when these teams square off starting Thursday night, all eyes for Rockies fans will be on whether the ballclub can finally get out of the NL West cellar before the All-Star break.
Let’s take a look and see who the probable starting pitchers will be for Colorado and San Francisco in this series.
RHP Ryan Feltner vs. LHP Robbie Ray
Ryan Feltner comes into the series opener with a 3-2 record and a 4.27 ERA. He’s shown signs of being pretty steady at times for the Rockies. He’ll have to be steady on Thursday night. For the Giants, Robbie Ray is 8-6 overall with a 3.45 ERA. Ray has looked sharp most of this season, so Colorado has its work cut out for them.
Advertisement
RHP Tanner Gordon vs. RHP Tyler Mahle
Tanner Gordon is 0-2 this season with a 6.95 ERA. San Francisco’s Tyler Mahle is 1-8 with a 5.70 ERA.
This is a prime opportunity for the Rockies’ lineup to get Mahle out of the game early and force the Giants to lean on their bullpen.
If Colorado can win these first two games of the four-game series, then they’ll at least get a split against the Giants. This, though, sets up a chance to get another win or two for Colorado.
Advertisement
LHP Kyle Freeland vs. RHP Landen Roupp
Kyle Freeland hasn’t been on his “A” game a lot for the Rockies. He’ll come into this game at 2-7 overall with a hefty 7.46 ERA. San Francisco’s Landen Roupp will go into Saturday’s afternoon game with a 6-8 record and a 4.27 ERA.
Bottom line here is that both starters are prone to giving up runs. This game might become a high-scoring contest.
RHP Michael Lorenzen vs. RHP Trevor McDonald
Well, Michael Lorenzen just hasn’t been steady and solid this season. His 3-9 record and 6.65 ERA are indicative of that. The Giants’ Trevor McDonald, though, also can be shaky on the mound. He’s 3-7 this season and owns a 5.46 ERA.
Advertisement
The wind coming off San Francisco Bay might be a chance for the Rockies to play some longball against McDonald. Of course, the same thing can be said for the Giants against Lorenzen.
It’s a Sunday afternoon game, one that both teams want to win heading into the All-Star break.
All four games will be shown on Rockies.TV.
Thursday’s game starts at 7:45 p.m. MT, while Friday’s contest is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MT. Saturday and Sunday, both games are scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. MT.
Advertisement
Rockies Roundtable has its own weekly podcast!
Rockies Rap, which covers the latest data, analytics, and information around the Rockies, is available now on Spotify. New episodes drop on Thursdays.
Like and subscribe to Rockies Rap.
Check it out right here on Spotify.
