Rockies at Giants
The Colorado Rockies were not happy with the way their homestand ended on Sunday and are out to prove they can compete in the National League West when they begin a six-game road trip by visiting the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. The Rockies, who head to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers after finishing up the three-game set against the Giants, dropped into fourth place in the West after the tough weekend.
Colorado began its homestand by taking three of four from the New York Mets and moved to .500 by blasting the Miami Marlins 11-3 on Friday, but losses on Saturday and Sunday ensured that they would enter the week behind San Francisco in the standings. "It's not a good homestand," third baseman Nolan Arenado told reporters. "Winning homestand or not, we lost a series here the way we did (Sunday) and the way we have the last couple of days is not good. We've got to win series. Homestands don't mean nothing until you win the series." The Giants are enjoying their current homestand after winning five of the first seven to jump one game over .500 at 40-39. San Francisco will try to stay hot behind veteran lefty Derek Holland while the Rockies counter with right-hander Chad Bettis.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Chad Bettis (5-1, 5.23 ERA) vs. Giants LH Derek Holland (5-7, 4.48)
Bettis continues to get bailed out by the Colorado offense while struggling on the mound and will try to stop a string of five straight starts allowing five or more runs on Tuesday. The worst start in that span came against the New York Mets on Wednesday, when the Texan was ripped for eight runs on nine hits and five walks across 4 2/3 innings without factoring in the decision. Bettis served up five runs and 10 hits over six innings against San Francisco on May 28, but was again left out of the decision.
Holland allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last four starts and picked up a win against Miami on Wednesday, when he yielded three runs and seven hits in six frames. The 31-year-old failed to complete seven innings in any of his 15 starts and did not get through the sixth in four straight prior to Wednesday's outing. Holland went up against Colorado at home on May 18 and suffered the loss while surrendering four runs and six hits in six frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. Giants CF Gorkys Hernandez is 4-for-13 over the last three games, with all four hits going for extra bases.
2. Arenado is 11-for-25 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in his last six games.
3. Colorado LHP Jake McGee allowed a total of seven runs and nine hits over five innings in his last six appearances.