Series Preview: SF Giants vs. Rockies - once more unto the breach
In baseball, it's hard to tell what you're missing until you see it used against you. The Giants saw it in the first game against Seattle, when pinch-runner José Caballero stole second and third uncontested against Camilo Doval. Those stolen bases opened up the floodgates for Doval's worst outing of the year, a 4-run inning that even a Blake Sabol 3-run blast couldn't catch up to. Thairo Estrada's potentially medium-term injury has been the biggest blow, but even then, the Giants don't have the type of game-breaking speed that role players like Caballero and young stars like Elly De La Cruz do.
The converse is also true; sometimes you don't realize what you have until you see your opponent struggle with facets of the game you've completely taken for granted. Even without great team speed, their proclivity for taking extra bases - which they've done more than all but 5 teams in the MLB - helped them squeak out their sole win against Seattle, who stranded extra base hit after extra base hit. And for most of the year, the Giants have been beasts late in games; they're batting .251 with a .773 OPS as a team in "Late and Close" situations (7th+ inning, batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck). Their opponents are hitting a paltry .221 with a .650 overall OPS. For a team with playoff aspirations, that's not nothing.
These are, to be sure, silver linings for a team that's gone 4-8 in their last 12. The team looks especially hurt and tired, which tends to happen when half your rotation is TBD and half your lineup are rookies who've been playing since May. The Giants need a little bit of a break going into the All-Star Break. Luckily, they face the Rockies, whose 13-31 road record and 33-55 overall record should be surmountable. And if they do indeed topple Colorado, they could even find themselves in first place in the division by the break - San Francisco is just 2.5 games a
Series Details
Who: SF Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: July 7-9, Friday (7:15 PM), Saturday (1:05 PM), Sunday (1:05 PM). All times Pacific.
Giants' current streak: W1, 3-7 in last 10. 47-40 overall, 3rd place in NL West (2.5 GB)
Rockies' current streak: L4, 3-7 in last 10. 33-55 overall, 5th place in NL West (17.0 GB)
Projected starters
Monday: Ross Stripling (0-2, 6.51 ERA) vs. TBD
Tuesday: TBD vs. TBD
Wednesday: Logan Webb (7-7, 3.38 ERA) vs. TBD
*Indicates LHP
**Indicates opener
How to watch, listen
- SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
- Opposing broadcast: ATT SportsnetRM, KOA 850/94.1 FM
- National broadcasts: none
