After wrapping up a tough road stretch against a pair of surging teams, the Colorado Rockies head home to open up a three-game series with the scuffling San Francisco Giants.
Colorado lost five in a row and six of seven games at Arizona and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and has lost eight of nine heading into the weekend. The Rockies will send Michael Lorenzen (2-7, 7.21 ERA) to the mound against San Francisco’s Logan Webb (2-4, 5.06) Friday night.
This is the first meeting of the season between the National League West rivals, and it comes with both teams struggling. The Giants have lost three in a row and seven of their last nine but they could be close to full strength with the expected return of outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (mid-back strain) and Webb.
Webb has not started since May 5 due to right knee bursitis. He lasted a season-low four innings in the outing against San Diego that day but has worked his way back to the rotation. He threw 62 pitches in a rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on May 22 and could have returned on regular rest Wednesday but he was given an extra two days of rest.
“I think, more than anything, he needed to go through the exercises necessary in the training room, and then also to do some of the things he wanted to do in the ‘pen,” manager Tony Vitello said. “This weekend, I think, makes everything a little bit better for a bunch of different reasons, but (it was) mainly centered on his routine and what he needed to go through.”
Webb has been successful in his career against Colorado. In 19 games (18 starts), he is 11-3 with a 2.97 ERA.
Lorenzen hasn’t experienced the same success pitching against San Francisco. In 11 appearances (five starts), he is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA. He will be tasked with ending the Rockies’ recent slide, including a tough series sweep by Los Angeles this week, despite having lost five consecutive starts.
The Dodgers outscored Colorado 24-10 in the three games and held the Rockies to one hit in Wednesday night’s 4-1 win. Things were not much better Tuesday night when Los Angeles led 15-1 through eight innings before using infielder Miguel Rojas as a pitcher in the ninth to save bullpen arms.
Colorado scored five runs off of Rojas, including homers by catcher Brett Sullivan and third baseman Kyle Karros. Sullivan, who tossed a scoreless eighth inning, joined Shohei Ohtani as the only players to hit home runs as pitchers this season.
“Listen, we never want to be in that situation where they are throwing a position player against us, especially when they’re winning,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We don’t ever want to be down that much where that’s the option. But every at-bat in the big leagues counts. So, good for Sully and Kyle for the homers.”
Schaeffer has used Sullivan as a pitcher three times this season and he has yet to yield a run in the three innings he has logged.
–Field Level Media
