Colorado @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 27, 2014 ) Colorado 2, San Francisco 4

Yusmeiro Petit has replaced struggling Tim Lincecum in the starting rotation and will be on the mound Thursday as the San Francisco Giants complete a four-game series against the host Colorado Rockies. Petit landed a start by retiring all 13 batters he faced in relief against Washington last Saturday while Lincecum was demoted after allowing 14 runs (12 earned) in 11 innings over his last three outings. San Francisco has won two of the first three games of the series.

Buster Posey went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Giants won 4-2 on Wednesday. Posey has three homers and six RBIs over the last two games, and the game-winning blast was just the second of his career. The Rockies are just 2-17 on the road since the All-Star break and have dropped 25 of 29 road games since mid-June.

TV: 3:45 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jordan Lyles (6-1, 4.05 ERA) vs. Giants RH Yusmeiro Petit (3-3, 3.59)

Lyles is unbeaten over his last seven starts but has only one victory during the stretch. He has lasted six innings in just two of the outings and gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings against Miami in his last turn. Lyles is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in two career starts against San Francisco.

Petit hasn’t allowed a hit or walk in 12 1/3 innings over his last six appearances and has retired 38 straight batters overall, seven shy of the record set in 2009 by Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox. His last start on July 22 didn’t go so well as Petit allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings. Petit is 2-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 12 career appearances (six starts) against Colorado, including 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four relief outings this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado LF Corey Dickerson has three homers and six RBIs over the last five games and hit his 20th homer of the season Wednesday.

2. San Francisco 3B Pablo Sandoval is hitless in eight at-bats over the last two games after going 12-for-24 over the previous six outings.

3. Rockies 1B Justin Morneau is batting .338 in August but has just one homer.

PREDICTION: Giants 7, Rockies 4