The Rockies have been scuffling as of late and they will be trying to turn it around against their division foe in the Giants as they begin a three game series with them on Friday night. The Rockies are heading into the series having lost eight of their last ten games and they have not been getting it done on both sides of the ball. The pitching has been sub par and their offense has been unable to come up with the big hits that they need to stay in the game. They are trying to keep their head above water and stay within striking distance of the division crown until Troy Tulowitzki comes back from his rib injury. The only player right now who is playing to his full potential. Josh Rutledge needs to figure it out fast or he is going to find himself back in the Minor Leagues. Going into the game the Rockies were 30-3 when they held the lead in the seventh inning. They are now 30-4 after the loss on Thursday to the Mets.
Jhoulys Chacin will have the task of taking on the Giants offense on Friday night. On the year Chacin has a 6-3 record with a respectable 3.92 ERA. He has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his last three starts and he has secured the victory in each of those starts as well. His last start was magnificent against the Nationals as he went seven innings allowing only five hits, no runs, one walk and had three strikeouts in the game. Perhaps the most impressive part of his start was that he only needed 94 pitches to complete seven innings. He showed good command of his pitches throughout the game which was good to see from him as he has battled some control issues during his career. He is also showing that he is controlling his emotions on the mound this year much better than he has in years past. In previous years one hit or run could send him in a tail spin for the game, but he has been working hard on keeping his cool and taking the game one batter at a time. Chacin is 4-2 at home but he has a high ERA at 4.92 in nine games started. He keeps the ball in the ballpark and has only allowed two home runs on the season. Opponents are hitting for a .270 average against Chacin at home compared to a .229 average when he is pitching at away ballparks. Giants hitters have done well in the past against Chacin, but he is a much different pitcher this year. They are hitting a combined .307 average with two home runs and 12 RBI in 114 at bats. Chacin has had one start against San Francisco this year and it did not go well for him. On May 16th Chacin faced off against the Giants and took the loss after he threw 5 1/3rd innings allowing nine hits, eight runs, two walks and two strikeouts. It was his worst start of the year and he allowed three earned runs more than he has in any start. Hopefully that was just a fluke start and not something that we should see again against the Giants. Chacin will be looking to build momentum from his last start and make sure that he keeps the ball in the ballpark and gives the Rockies a good chance to win.
Barry Zito will be the starting pitcher for the Giants as they come into Coors Field on Friday night. On the year Zito has a 4-5 record with a 4.40 ERA. He pitched well in his last start against the Marlins but he had no offensive support in the night so he ended up taking a no decision. In that game he threw seven innings allowing six hits, one run, two walks and struck out five. Zito has been awful on the road this year and has a 0-4 record with an astronomical 11.28 ERA. He has three starts against the Rockies this year and he is 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA. At Coors Field he had a rough game as he took the loss going 5 2/3rd innings allowing 11 hits, five runs, two walks and had four strikeouts. He has been good against the Rockies in the past couple of year but this year it seems as though the Rockies hitters have figured him out and they are making him pay for the mistakes that he makes over the plate. Rockies hitters are hitting a combined .256 against Zito with four home runs and 20 RBI in 246 at bats against the veteran left hander. Carlos Gonzalez has had the most luck against him as he is hitting .353 with two home runs and nine RBI in 34 at bats. He will be trying to change his luck against the Rockies this year but they are hoping that they can hit him around pretty good again and get themselves going back in the right direction.
The Giants lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. Gregor Blanco, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Buster Posey, C
4. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Andres Torres, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Barry Zito, P
The Rockies lineup for the game tonight is as follows:
1. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
2. Jordan Pacheco, 1B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, LF
4. Michael Cuddyer, RF
5. Wilin Rosario, C
6. Nolan Arenado, 3B
7. Tyler Colvin, CF
8. Josh Rutledge, SS
9. Jhoulys Chacin, P
First pitch for the game tonight is at 6:40 PM Mountain time. With their loss on Thursday the Rockies dropped to two games under .500 for the first time all year. They will be trying to make sure that it is as low as they go in the standings.
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