San Francisco @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2010 ) San Francisco 2, Colorado 1
The bad news for the San Francisco Giants on Friday was that their offense resorted back to its inept ways. The good news was that their starting pitching continued its tremendous roll.
Barry Zito will attempt to continue the Giants' dominant starting performances on Saturday when he takes on the Colorado Rockies in the middle contest of their three-game series.
One night after erupting for 13 runs against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, San Francisco once again struggled to score as Pat Burrell's two-run homer was all it could muster. Fortunately, Tim Lincecum was masterful, allowing just one run and two hits over eight innings en route to a 2-1 triumph.
While the offense failed to score more than two runs for the 10th time in the last 15 games, Lincecum's effort was the 18th in a row in which a Giants starter allowed fewer than four runs. San Francisco is two away from matching the record set by the Chicago White Sox in 1917.
Over the last 13 games, Giants starters have surrendered just 11 earned runs in 82 innings for a 1.21 ERA.
The performances of Lincecum and Burrell helped San Francisco maintain its half-game lead in the NL West over the San Diego Padres, who posted a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.
Zito can help keep the Giants atop the division with another solid start. The left-hander has yielded two runs or less in each of his last three outings, including a 9-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday in which he gave up two runs and three hits over six innings.
The win was much needed for Zito, who had gone 0-9 in 12 starts since tossing eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 triumph over the New York Mets on July 16.
In 14 career starts against Colorado, Zito is 5-2 with a 2.40 ERA. The 32-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA in three meetings with the Rockies this year, allowing nine earned runs over 20 1/3 innings.
A former Cy Young Award winner, Zito has struggled on the road this season, going 2-8 with a 4.93 ERA in 15 outings.
Friday's defeat was devastating for the Rockies, who fell 4 1/2 games behind the Giants in the NL West with nine remaining. They also trail the Padres by four in the race for the wild card.
Jason Hammel will try to end Colorado's five-game losing streak and post his first win in four starts. In his last three outings, he has gone 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA, allowing 13 earned runs in 15 innings.
On Sunday, Hammel did not figure in the decision of a 7-6 loss at Los Angeles after surrendering four runs and six hits over four innings.
The 28-year-old is 0-2 with a 2.95 ERA in six career outings against San Francisco. This year, he has allowed just three earned runs in 13 2/3 frames over two starts while settling for a pair of no-decisions.
Several Giants have flexed their muscles against Hammel over their careers. Jose Guillen is 3-for-5 with two home runs, Nate Schierholtz is 2-for-8 with a pair of blasts and Andres Torres is 2-for-6 with both his hits being homers.
Hammel has pitched well at home in 2010, going 7-2 with a 3.90 ERA in 15 starts at Coors Field.