Colorado @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 11, 2014 ) Colorado 5, San Francisco 6

The Colorado Rockies have a hard time winning on the road, and playing without two of its biggest offensive threats makes it that much more difficult. Colorado hopes to have shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and catcher Wilin Rosario back in the starting lineup when it visits the San Francisco Giants on Saturday in the second contest of a three-game series. Colorado, which was 29-52 away from home in 2013, is 1-4 this season and has lost 14 of its last 16 in San Francisco after Friday's 6-5 setback.

Tulowitzki (quad) missed Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox and struck out in a pinch-hitting role to end Friday's 6-5 loss while Rosario sat out with a sore left wrist. The Giants won their fourth straight series opener to start the season on the strength of winning pitcher Madison Bumgarner's five RBIs, including a grand slam — only the second by a Giants pitcher since the team moved to San Francisco in 1958 (Shawn Estes, 2000). Matt Cain has won his last six decisions against the Rockies and is 9-1 since the start of 2010 against them, and will oppose Brett Anderson, who returns to the Bay Area after spending his first five seasons with Oakland.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT (Colorado), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Brett Anderson (0-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Giants RH Matt Cain (0-1, 5.73)

Anderson allowed three earned runs in each of his first two starts, and 10 hits — including a two-run homer to Mark Trumbo — in a 5-3 loss to Arizona on Sunday. "Trumbo’s home run was the one that hurt,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss told reporters of the blast that made it 5-0, but added “I thought Brett did a great job. I have a lot of confidence in him." The 26-year-old Midland, Texas, native is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in two career starts against San Francisco — both at AT&T Park.

Cain, who yielded a career-worst 23 home runs in 2013, gave up three in a 6-2 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sunday as poor pitch location continues to be a problem. The 29-year-old Dothan, Ala., native, 17-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts against Colorado (the Giants 20-11 in those games), told reporters "I don't want to nibble and I don't want to go away from the strike zone. I'm going to try to attack guys." Carlos Gonzalez, who homered Friday, is 4-for-41 with 16 strikeouts against Cain.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado's Michael Cuddyer went 0-for-3 on Friday as his season-opening 10-game hitting streak came to an end while his average dropped to .386.

2. San Francisco 3B Pablo Sandoval is hitting .143 and committed errors in the past two contests.

3. The Giants are averaging 6.2 runs in their last 16 home games against the Rockies.

PREDICTION: Giants 6, Rockies 2