Rockies at Giants
The Colorado Rockies have hit their roughest patch of the season and will try to get better when they visit the struggling San Francisco Giants for a three-game series beginning Monday. Colorado extended its season-high losing streak to five games with an ugly 12-6 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sunday while San Francisco attempts to halt three five-game slides -- overall, at home and against the Rockies.
The Giants are coming off an 8-2 home loss to the New York Mets on Sunday that dropped them to 5-21 since back-to-back triumphs over Atlanta on May 27 and 28. Colorado, which led the National League West by one-half game Tuesday, suddenly finds itself 4 1/2 games behind Los Angeles, but still owns a comfortable advantage in the wild-card race. The Rockies were extremely generous Sunday as they squandered a 6-4 lead by allowing the final eight runs of the game - including five in a row on four wild pitches over two innings by reliever Adam Ottavino. DJ LeMahieu has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 4-for-9 in his last two games while hitting safely in 19 of his last 22 contests - recording 11 multi-hit performances in that span.
TV: 10:08 p.m. ET, ESPN, ROOT Rocky Mountain (Colorado), NBCSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (5-3, 3.92 ERA) vs. Giants RH Jeff Samardzija (2-9, 4.74)
Marquez has allowed only one earned run in each of his last three turns, including a brief three-inning stint against the Cubs in Chicago, but has recorded only one victory in that span. The 22-year-old Venezuelan has won five of his last six decisions, giving up fewer than two earned runs in four of the triumphs - and two in the other. Marquez lost his only career start versus the Giants as he yielded six runs and 12 hits over 4 1/3 frames at San Francisco on Sept. 27.
Samardzija has won only one of his last seven outings despite allowing fewer than four runs six times in that stretch. The lone turn in which he surrendered more was a loss at Colorado on June 16, when he was tagged for eight runs and 11 hits over six innings. That setback dropped Samardzija to 0-3 with a 9.33 ERA versus the Rockies this season and 3-5 with a 3.91 ERA in 14 career appearances (10 starts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez missed the three-game series against the Dodgers because of a sore right shoulder and is hoping to avoid a stint on the disabled list.
2. San Francisco C Buster Posey drove in both runs Sunday, marking only the third time in 13 games he has recorded an RBI.
3. Colorado LHP Tyler Anderson's return from a knee injury was short-lived as he exited Sunday's start - his first since April 30 - after aggravating it in the third inning.