Chris Heston (12-10, 3.62 ERA) and Kyle Kendrick (6-13, 6.54 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the San Francisco Giants (83-76) and the Colorado Rockies (66-93) at AT&T Park. Action begins at 10:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 and can be seen on RTRM and CSBy.
Heston pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering four runs, striking out three and walking two in a 5-4 win over the Athletics. Kendrick went 5.0 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out two and walking three in an 8-6 defeat to the Dodgers in his last outing. Nolan Arenado (.286, 94 Rs, 41 HRs, 127 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run.
San Francisco is a -155 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 +98 and a record as the favorite of 46-33. San Francisco has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite. The Giants have no trouble scoring as they rank fourth in the NL in offense with 4.3 runs per game. The Giants lead the NL in hits with an impressive 9.2 per game. San Francisco’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 7.2 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 3.08 at home. The Giants are the top team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.9 hits per contest to their opponents this season.
In the other locker room, Colorado is coming in with an overall money line of -1,340 and a disappointing record of 47-72 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 3-7 record, and a 3-7 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.5 runs per game, which is tops in the NL. The Rockies have a dynamic offense, ranking third in the league with 498 extra base hits.
The Rockies lead the season series, 9-7. The Giants have a 63-54 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kendrick takes the mound. Heston (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rockies, who have a 56-64 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, San Francisco is 39-23, while Colorado is 31-40.
The Rockies are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Giants have a 32-39 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rockies are 47-16. The Giants have a 71-14 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th, San Francisco is in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 687 this season. Colorado ranks in the top five at fifth with 719.
Ranking 27th, Colorado is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 383 this season. San Francisco ranks in the bottom half at 18th with 447.
The Giants are 57-28 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Rockies are 55-53 when they hit at least one homer.
