Eddie Butler (1-1, 2.25 ERA) and Chris Heston (2-1, 0.87 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Colorado Rockies (9-7) and the San Francisco Giants (7-10) at Coors Field. Action begins at 8:40 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 24 and can be seen on CSN-BAY and ROOT-RM.
Butler pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out four and walking one in a 7-0 defeat to the Dodgers. Corey Dickerson (.321, 12 Rs, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs, one home run, and one RBI. Against the Rockies, Heston is 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and five strikeouts. Angel Pagan (.318, 5 Rs, 4 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Giants, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run and one stolen base.
Colorado is a slim -113 favorite at home against San Francisco. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 10 runs. Though the Rockies have had a solid season in terms of their overall money line (+127), they’ve done poorly as a favorite with a record of 2-4. Colorado is a disappointing 1-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Rockies have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.3 runs per game. They average 4.3 runs per game on the season. The Rockies are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with an impressive 9.4 per game. Colorado’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.3 against fellow NL West members, compared to its 4.7 season average.
In games where it is the underdog, San Francisco has a 4-4 record and an overall money line of -528. They are 4-4 as the underdog against teams in their division, and 6-10 SU. San Francisco is excellent at not striking out n the road with just 7.4 per game, ranking fifth in the NL.
The Rockies have the edge in the season series, 3-0. The Rockies have a 7-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Heston takes the mound. Butler (RHP) will be on the hill against the Giants, who have a 4-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – COL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Giants won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Rockies are 3-2. The Giants are 4-3 in close games this season.
When the Giants play into extra innings, they have a 2-1 record. The Rockies are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Giants are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rockies have a 5-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Giants are 5-2. The Rockies have an 8-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th in runs, San Francisco has earned 49 this season. Colorado ranks 13th with 67 runs.
Ranking 27th, Colorado is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 35 this season. San Francisco ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 53.
The Rockies are 6-4 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Giants are 3-5 when they hit at least one homer.
