San Francisco @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( May 26, 2013 ) Colorado 3, San Francisco 7

A pair of struggling National League West teams square off Friday when the San Francisco Giants visit the Colorado Rockies in the first of three. Both teams remain four games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks in a tightly packed race, but neither is playing its best baseball. Colorado blew a late lead Thursday against the New York Mets and fell for the eighth time in 10 games.

San Francisco has lost four in a row after dropping all three games at the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the week. The Giants are 14-25 away from home after going 46-35 on the road en route to another World Series title last year. They have been limited to 10 runs in the four-game slide and had only five hits in a 4-2 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Barry Zito (4-5, 4.40 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Jhoulys Chacin (6-3, 3.92)

Zito continues to display an incredible disparity in his home and road performances. He allowed three runs in 12 2/3 innings in his last two outings, both at home, to lower his ERA at AT&T Park to 1.98. However, the veteran lefty is 0-4 with an 11.28 mark on the road. That includes a rough outing at Coors Field on May 19, when he was reached for five runs and 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Chacin has won each of his last three starts, allowing just four runs in 20 2/3 innings along the way. The righty has gone four straight starts without allowing a home run and has served up only two in 87 1/3 frames in 2013. The Giants got to Chacin for eight runs in 5 1/3 innings at Colorado on May 16, and he is 3-5 all-time against San Francisco.

WALK-OFFS

1. Zito is 8-3 with a 2.84 ERA in his career against Colorado.

2. Giants INF Joaquin Arias (hamstring) could be placed on the disabled list Friday if he is not well enough to play. Arias has not played since Monday.

3. Rockies RF Michael Cuddyer established a franchise record by hitting safely in his 24th straight game Thursday. He has also reached base safely in 43 consecutive contests.

PREDICTION: Rockies 5, Giants 3