Giants at Rockies
It's quite a Story, this Colorado rookie shortstop Trevor, and he'll try to keep the historic start to his career going - while masking the club's pitching woes - when the Rockies host the San Francisco Giants in a three-game series beginning Tuesday. Story set major league records for most home runs in the first six games of a career and in a team's first six contests of a season when he belted his seventh in Colorado's 6-3 victory over San Diego on Sunday.
"... Whenever (Story) gets a pitch around the strike zone, he just hits it out of the ballpark," teammate Carlos Gonzalez told reporters. "Hopefully he can continue to do that for the entire year, and we're going to see a special season." It could prove to be all for naught, though, if the Rockies (3-3) do not start getting more batters out as they own a 7.92 ERA and a .342 batting average - both by far the worst in the majors. San Francisco is off to a 5-2 start after taking three of four from the Los Angeles Dodgers, including a 9-6 victory Sunday after Los Angeles scored five runs in the first inning, as Buster Posey (9-for-23, five RBIs) continued his torrid start with his second home run. Colorado's Tyler Chatwood impressed in his season opener after not pitching since April 29, 2014, because of Tommy John surgery and opposes Jeff Samardzija, who wasn't sharp in his San Francisco debut after signing a five-year, $90 million contract during the offseason.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), ROOT (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Jeff Samardzija (0-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Tyler Chatwood (1-0, 1.42)
Samardzija received a no-decision after allowing three runs, eight hits and three walks while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings of San Francisco's 4-3 loss in Milwaukee on Wednesday. ''He battled well,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters about the 31-year-old Indiana native. ''He was off a little bit, but he found a way to keep us in the game. He left the game, it was tied. Great job on his part. Battling with men on base. Pitching well in traffic.'' Samardzija is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA in seven games (three starts) versus Colorado and won his only start at Coors Field (one run in 7 1/3 innings) while pitching for the Chicago Cubs in 2013.
Chatwood permitted two runs (one earned) and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings to earn the win in Colorado's 4-3 victory in Arizona on Wednesday. ''... He went out there and did an outstanding job,'' Rockies manager Walt Weiss told reporters about the 26-year-old Californian. "That's the Chatwood that we all remember. Goes out there and competes like a bulldog, great stuff, a really big day for him and for us.'' Chatwood, who is 21-22 with a 4.29 ERA lifetime but a stellar 10-4, 3.92 at Coors Field, is 3-2, 3.46 in eight games (seven starts) against San Francisco.
WALK-OFFS
1. Story, who is 6 feet 1, 180 pounds, broke the previous record of six home runs through a team's first six games held by San Francisco's Willie Mays (1964), Philadelphia's Mike Schmidt (1976) and Colorado's Larry Walker (1997).
2. Posey is hitting .396 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .458 in 46 games at Coors Field.
3. SS Brandon Crawford and 3B Matt Duffy also have two home runs as the Giants have hit 14 - their most in the first seven games of a season since belting 16 in 2003.