Giants at Rockies
Things appear to be trending upward for the San Francisco Giants, who have won three straight after dropping nine of their previous 10. The Giants look to build on a series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday when they begin a six-game road trip in Colorado against the Rockies.
Third baseman Casey McGehee is hitting .179 in his first season with the Giants, but he’s hoping a key single in Thursday’s 3-2, 10-inning win over the Dodgers will get him untracked. “While one at-bat isn’t the end-all, be-all, it was definitely a relief,” McGehee told SFGate.com. “It felt good to be able to contribute to a win.” Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, mired in a 1-for-22 slump over the last seven games, did not start on Thursday but will be in the lineup for Friday’s series opener. Colorado closer Adam Ottavino hopes to be available this weekend after missing Thursday’s game due to soreness in his lower triceps.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), ROOT (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Chris Heston (2-1, 0.87 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Eddie Butler (1-1, 2.25)
Heston has helped the Giants overcome the losses of Matt Cain (flexor tendon strain) and Jake Peavy (back) by working at least six innings in each of his first three starts. The 27-year-old rookie allowed one run over a career-high 7 2/3 innings in last Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Arizona. “He’s a good pitcher,” Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt told reporters. “He mixed up his slider and his fastball so you couldn’t really lock in on one pitch.”
Butler is looking to improve on his performance against the Giants on April 13, when he worked around six walks and left after 5 1/3 scoreless innings. The 24-year-old hasn’t worked past the sixth inning in any of his first three starts due to high pitch counts and issued 11 walks in 16 innings. Butler, a first-round pick by the Rockies in 2012, has received a total of three runs of support this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Colorado has won four straight and five of the last six meetings against San Francisco.
2. The Giants’ bullpen has allowed one run in 15 innings over the last five games.
3. Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado is 9-for-26 during his seven-game hitting streak.