San Francisco @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 23, 2014 ) San Francisco 12, Colorado 10

Carlos Gonzalez will be in the lineup Tuesday when the Colorado Rockies visit the San Francisco Giants for the opener of a three-game series, but don’t expect many stolen bases. The dynamic left fielder is batting .275 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs, but tendinitis in his left knee has limited him to just two stolen bases. “I feel a little better; still fighting with that knee,” Gonzalez told reporters. “I think it's showing in stolen bases. It’s kind of slowed down a lot. But I continue to get treatment every day, and hopefully it gets better and I can bring that speed back to the club.”

The series features the top two teams in the National League West, with San Francisco leading the Rockies by three games. The Giants have won 17 of their last 24, and third baseman Pablo Sandoval has raised his batting average 49 points to .220 with three doubles and one homer during his nine-game hitting streak. While Sandoval is finally heating up, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford enters the series mired in a 9-for-46 slump over his past 13 games.

TV: 8:40 p.m. ET; CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (5-3, 3.25 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Franklin Morales (3-3, 5.40)

Bumgarner allowed four runs in five innings last Wednesday against Atlanta, but he posted his third consecutive victory when the Giants cruised to a 10-4 win. The 24-year-old is 8-6 with a 3.19 ERA in 17 career starts against Colorado, including 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts last month. Gonzalez is 13-for-37 with five homers against Bumgarner, who is 3-1 with a 1.39 ERA in five starts on the road this season.

Morales hasn’t won since April 28, and he’s allowed at least four runs in each of his last four starts. The 28-year-old struggled with his control again last Tuesday against Kansas City, when he allowed eight hits and four walks while throwing 99 pitches over five innings. Hunter Pence is 4-for-7 with a homer against Morales, who is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 18 career games (four starts) against San Francisco.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado RF Michael Cuddyer (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the disabled list prior to Tuesday’s game.

2. Giants CF Angel Pagan, who suffered a sprained left shoulder on Saturday, expects to avoid the disabled list and hopes to play Tuesday.

3. The Rockies are 13-9 against National League West opponents, including 6-3 at Coors Field.

PREDICTION: Giants 7, Rockies 3