The San Francisco Giants will look for their second straight win at Coors Field Wednesday night when they face the Colorado Rockies. Despite losing 14-4 on Tuesday, the Rockies are -150 favorites to win Wednesday’s game.
Colorado continues to fall short of preseason expectations this season. They ended April on a three-game losing streak and have now lost three of their last four games despite squeezing out a couple of wins over the Brewers in between. They sit four games below .500 and a distant seven games back in the NL West.
Of course, the Giants have an identical 16-20 record after knocking off the Rockies on Tuesday night. On the bright side, San Francisco wasn’t expected to contend for a playoff spot this season. They’ve also won four of their last six games since the calendar flipped to May, so they appear to be moving in the right direction.
Just Back
The Giants will activate lefty Derek Holland from the IL in time to make the start on Wednesday. Holland didn’t miss much time after being sidelined with a bruised index finger. However, San Francisco can only hope the extra time off has given Holland a chance to regroup. In his first six starts, Holland is just 1-4 with a 5.34 ERA. He’s given up seven home runs in 32 innings of work, so a trip to Coors Field may not be what the doctor ordered for him.
Moreover, Holland hasn’t fared well against several of Colorado’s top hitters. Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story are a combined 10 for 23 against Holland. The lefty has also struggled to get outs against Ian Desmond and backup catcher Chris Iannetta. The key could be how Holland handles Colorado’s lefties, specifically Charlie Blackmon and Raimel Tapia, who are both red-hot at the moment.
Gray Days
Jon Gray will get the start for the Rockies on Wednesday. He’s been wildly inconsistent early in the season. Gray went three straight starts in April allowing one run or less. However, he’s given up 10 runs on 15 hits in his last 10.1 innings of work. On the bright side, he’s still striking out batters at a high rate. However, much like Holland, he’s been a little vulnerable to the home run ball, and it’s not because he pitches at Coors Field regularly.
Fortunately for Gray, the Giants are one of the worst offensive teams in baseball. Among San Francisco’s regulars, Brandon Belt leads San Francisco with an OPS of .809, which is dismal for a team’s best offensive player. Of course, the Giants have shown some signs of heating up, especially with their 14-run outburst on Tuesday. But they still haven’t had a lot of consistency, and Gray has been solid if unspectacular in his career against current Giants hitters.
Time to Tee Off
Admittedly, Gray isn’t the most trustworthy pitcher right now, but the Rockies are liable to tee off against Holland. Between the Colorado hitters that are in the middle of a hot streak and those Holland has struggled to retire in the past, the Rockies have a deep and dangerous lineup. Bet on Colorado -150 to win on Wednesday.
