The San Francisco Giants try to keep pace in the NL West when they play host to the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday night. The first pitch for this contest is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Colorado got the win on Tuesday night, 7-5 in 10 innings, marking the first time in five games it has beaten the Giants. The Rockies are 9-14 and in the last place in the NL West, three games behind both Arizona and San Diego.
The Giants, despite the loss, remain tied for first place in the division with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with both holding 15-9 marks. They’re 2½ games ahead of Arizona and San Diego in an unexpectedly tight race.
The MLB odds have the Giants with a moneyline of -152, while the Rockies are +137. The over/under for the game has been set at seven runs.
Needing Pitching
Looking at the offensive numbers for these two teams, you wouldn’t think it was Colorado in last and San Francisco in first. The Rockies have a higher batting average, have scored 10 more runs, and have four more hits. But then a look at the team ERAs — 4.57 to 2.93 — tells the story of why Colorado struggles.
Right-hander German Marquez takes the mound for the Rockies, making his sixth start. Marquez is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA, striking out 28 and walking 16.
Marquez has allowed at least two earned runs in each of his last four starts, including last Friday’s game with Philadelphia. In that game, Marquez went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out eight while walking three.
Colorado’s offensive attack has been led by second baseman Ryan McMahon, who has eight home runs and 15 RBI to lead the Rockies. McMahon is batting .273 with four doubles and 17 runs scored.
Shortstop Trevor Story is batting .274 with six doubles, a triple and a home run, driving in 13 runs and scoring nine times.
Fast Start
The Giants will have left-hander Alex Wood on the mound for the series finale. He makes his third start after beginning the season on the injured list with back trouble. That trouble has not followed him to the mound since he was activated, as he’s 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA.
Wood has beaten the Marlins twice, going a total of 12 innings and allowing just one earned run on a solo home run. He’s allowed only five hits and struck out 11 while walking just one batter.
Catcher Buster Posey has been red-hot in this series, going 7-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI. On the season, Posey is batting .351 with a team-high five home runs, eight RBI, and 12 runs scored.
Third baseman Evan Longoria has been hot at the start of the season as well, batting .316 with five doubles and four home runs while driving in a team-high 12 runs. He walked in his only plate appearance in Tuesday’s contest.
Giants Get the Win
San Francisco has been able to put solid pitching together with its timely hitting and surprise a lot of people so far this season. With Wood on the mound, expect more of that.
Colorado just doesn’t have the pitching to compete in a deep NL West and will likely be in last place all season long. The Rockies are in the middle of a rebuild, so the wins are going to come infrequently.
When doing your MLB betting, go with San Francisco to get the win.
