Rockies at Giants
Not even a strong performance from their starting pitcher last time out could change the fortunes of the Colorado Rockies. The club attempts to halt its six-game slide and record just its second win in 12 contests when it continues its four-game series against the host San Francisco Giants on Friday.
Jon Gray allowed just one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings in the series opener on Thursday but came away with the loss as the Rockies managed to register only three singles in a 1-0 defeat. Garrett Hampson notched two of them after going 3-for-30 over his first 11 contests as Colorado fell for the 10th time in 11 games following a pair of victories to open the season. Kevin Pillar belted his third homer in four contests while Jeff Samardzija combined with two relievers on a three-hitter on Thursday as San Francisco posted just its third win in nine games. Joe Panik recorded two hits in the opener, matching the total from his previous six contests as the Giants improved to 3-4 on their 10-game homestand.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Chad Bettis (0-2, 11.88 ERA) vs. Giants LH Drew Pomeranz (0-1, 4.00)
Bettis hopes to turn things around after being battered in each of his first two starts of the year. The 29-year-old Texan yielded six runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings in a loss at Tampa Bay in his season debut and was tagged for six runs on seven hits and four walks without recording a strikeout over 2 2/3 frames by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a setback on Sunday. Bettis owns a 3-4 record with his lone shutout and a 4.59 ERA in 15 career games (10 starts) versus San Francisco.
Pomeranz has allowed just two runs in each of his first two turns this season but has yet to record a victory. The 30-year-old Tennessean worked five innings on the road against the Dodgers in his 2019 debut but lasted only four versus the Rays on Sunday, when he yielded six hits and three walks en route to a loss. Pomeranz, who began his career with Colorado, has gone 2-0 while giving up two runs over 14 frames in two starts and two relief appearances against his former team.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rockies 1B Mark Reynolds and OF Ian Desmond have combined to go 10-for-63 with one homer and seven RBIs this season.
2. San Francisco C Buster Posey and SS Brandon Crawford (one) have driven in a total of one run this year.
3. Colorado (3-10) has matched the worst 13-game start in franchise history.