Colorado @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2018 ) Colorado 0, San Francisco 3

After being shut out in back-to-back games, the Colorado Rockies look to avoid a sweep on Sunday, when they face the host San Francisco Giants in the series finale. The Rockies occupy the second wild-card spot in the National League as they've fallen one-half game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West and will be happy to leave AT&T Park, where they’ve lost 11 of their last 14 contests.

Madison Bumgarner tossed six strong innings and Will Smith recorded his 12th save in Saturday’s 3-0 victory as San Francisco won its second straight following a season-high 11-game losing streak. Austin Slater started at first base in place of Brandon Belt, who likely will need surgery on his right knee during the offseason but hopes to play sporadically during the team’s final 13 games. Colorado is seeking its first division title in franchise history and entered the weekend a season-high 16 games over .500, but it was held to two hits in the series opener and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Saturday. Trevor Story, who went 1-for-4 with a single and a stolen base in Saturday’s loss, has seven home runs and 17 RBIs in 14 games this month.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Antonio Senzatela (4-6, 5.01 ERA) vs. Giants RH Dereck Rodriguez (6-3, 2.35)

Senzatela lost his third straight decision on Tuesday after allowing four runs and seven hits over six innings against Arizona. The 23-year-old Venezuelan opened the season in the bullpen before moving into the rotation, where he has worked six or more frames in five of his 10 turns. Joe Panik is 6-for-15 with two home runs against Senzatela, who owns a 4-0 record and 3.57 ERA in seven career games (five starts) versus San Francisco.

Rodriguez turned in another impressive performance on Monday, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings against Atlanta. “Rodriguez was really good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters. “He changes speeds well, he changes off his fastball. Guys were talking about how they were having a hard time getting anything going against him.” The 26-year-old rookie has posted a 1.93 ERA in two previous games (one start) against the Rockies.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Rockies are 9-14 on Sundays this season and a combined 72-53 on the other six days of the week.

2. Bumgarner exited Saturday’s game with tightness in his side but is expected to make his next start.

3. Colorado OF Matt Holliday is 11-for-34 with a home run in 11 starts since joining the team on Aug. 23.

PREDICTION: Rockies 4, Giants 3