Giants Series Preview

The Rockies need a big road series win to establish some confidence away from Coors. This is also a critical opportunity for the Rox to gain ground in the Wild Card race. After this series, the Rockies only have 3 more games against the Giants this season. Probable Starters De La Rosa (5-4, 4.54) vs. Sanchez (9-8, 3.67) Rogers (2-2, 5.66) vs. Bumgarner (5-4, 3.95) Jimenez (17-5, 2.71) vs. Lincecum (11-9, 3.80) Three Questions 1. Can the Rox win an important series on the road? Every time the Rox play away from Coors, this has been one of my three questions. If the Rockies are a playoff team, they need to win on the road and they need to do it soon. If the Rox continue to scuffle on the road, they won’t be able to gain ground in the Wild Card race. 2. Can the Rockies 1-4 hitters stay hot on the road against the tough Giants starters? The Giants send 3 starters with sub-4.00 ERAs to the mound in this series. Eric Young Jr., Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, and Troy Tulowitzki have arguably comprised one of the toughest tops of a lineup in the majors over the last couple of weeks. Something has to give in this matchup. The Rockies hitters have struggled on the road, but these 4 hitters could get going and carry the team to a sweep in this series. 3. Can Ubaldo finally get number 18? Jimenez has a tough draw, going against Tim Lincecum. Lincecum hasn’t had the Cy Young caliber year he is accustomed to, but can still shut down a lineup on any given day. Jimenez has been stuck on 17 wins for 4 straight starts. Series to Watch Rockies fans should watch the Phillies at Dodgers series. It would be nice if the Dodgers could help the Rox by beating the Phillies in LA before the Phils stop in Denver on Thursday for one makeup game.