San Francisco @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 2, 2010 ) San Francisco 3, Colorado 6
If the San Francisco Giants hope to end their season-high losing streak, they're going to have to do it against the majors' biggest winner this season.
The Giants look to halt a seven-game skid on Saturday when they take on Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies.
In the midst of its longest slide since dropping eight in a row in June 2007, San Francisco can put most of the blame on its offense. The Giants have been outscored, 38-15, during the losing streak, failing to plate more than three runs in any of the seven games.
The skid reached seven with Friday's 6-3 setback, a contest in which Aubrey Huff - who notched his second two-homer game of the season - and Buster Posey collected four of the Giants' five hits.
Reigning two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum allowed more than three earned runs for just the fourth time in 17 starts this year. Lincecum lost for the first time in eight road outings in 2010.
Jonathan Herrera was one of the offensive stars for Colorado, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Clint Barmes added a two-run homer. Dexter Fowler posted his second straight three-hit game to help rookie Jhoulys Chacin to just his second win in seven starts.
The Rockies, who have won nine of their last 11 home games and 10 of 14 overall, emerged victorious despite being without Todd Helton (back) and Brad Hawpe (ribs) in the lineup. Hawpe drew a walk as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning.
Jimenez is looking to remain perfect at home this season. The 26-year old is 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six starts at Coors Field.
Since suffering his lone loss of the year on May 9, a 2-0 setback against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he surrendered just one run in seven innings, Jimenez has gone 8-0 in nine outings. One of those victories came at San Francisco, where he struck out nine and limited the Giants to four hits in a 4-0 triumph on May 31.
Jimenez, who is 4-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 career starts against San Francisco, was tagged for four runs in six innings by the San Diego Padres on Monday but still came away with the win in a 10-6 victory.
The right-hander will be opposed by Barry Zito, who is just 1-3 in his last eight outings.
Zito has pitched well against the Rockies this season, going 1-0 in two starts while yielding a total of just three runs and nine hits over 15 innings. In 13 career meetings with Colorado, the 32-year old left-hander is 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA.
On Monday, Zito allowed only two runs and six hits in six frames but came away with a no-decision in San Francisco's 4-2 loss to Los Angeles.