Tim Hudson (5-6, 4.52 ERA) and Chad Bettis (3-2, 3.44 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the San Francisco Giants (40-34) and the Colorado Rockies (32-40) at AT&T Park. Action begins at 10:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 26 and can be seen on ROOT-RM and CSN-BAY.
Hudson is 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA in his appearances against the Rockies, and goes up against a good Colorado offense which is batting .269 this season. Buster Posey (.293, 37 Rs, 11 HRs, 48 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with three runs and three RBIs. Bettis is 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA when pitching against the Giants. He takes on a quality San Francisco offense which is hitting .269 this season. Nolan Arenado (.287, 44 Rs, 20 HRs, 60 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI.
San Francisco is a -148 favorite against Colorado and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Giants have an overall money line of +157 and a record as the favorite of 17-21. San Francisco is a disappointing 1-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Giants have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.5 runs per game. They average 4.1 runs per game on the season. The Giants are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with an impressive 9.2 per game. San Francisco strikes out the least of any team in the NL, with only 6.8 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opposing offenses that come to AT&T Park have been stifled by the Giants, who have a team ERA of only 2.98 at home. The Giants are the fourth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.2 hits per game to their opponents this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Colorado has a 24-26 record and an overall money line of -597. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 12-15 record against NL West rivals, and a 4-6 record SU. Offensively, the Rockies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.5 runs per game by averaging 5.7 during that stretch. The Rockies are tough outs for opponents, leading the NL with 9.2 hits per game. The Rockies allow 5.1 runs per game, but does worse whenever another team from the NL West Division is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 6.1 against division foes.
The Rockies lead the season series, 6-3. The Giants have a 29-28 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bettis takes the mound. Hudson (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rockies, who have a 28-30 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Over
Notes
Colorado has won 48% (14-15) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, San Francisco has won 55% (11-9) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Giants are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 13 runs. The Rockies have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 3-21. The Rockies have a 5-28 record when opponents outhit them.
San Francisco ranks near the bottom of the league at 24th when it comes to home runs, hitting 57 this season. Colorado ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 83.
Colorado tops the league in hits with 9.24 per game this season. San Francisco ranks in the top five at third with 9.15.
Ranking eighth, San Francisco is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.732). Colorado ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .754.
The Rockies are 14-30 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Giants are 20-21 when they allow at least one homer.
