Colorado Rockies series preview: Holding down the fort in the NL West

After coming off a series win against the Cincinnati Reds, the Colorado Rockies look to capitalize on division foe San Francisco Giants. This three-game series at Coors Field will be a test of not only if they can continue winning at home, but also if they can keep first place in the National League West.

Who’s pitching?

In game one, which is today (Memorial Day), the Colorado Rockies have Chad Bettis on the mound. Bettis has been doing quite well this season as a middle of the rotation guy. He currently has a 3.30 ERA along with a record of 4-1. However, he’ll be looking to bounce back from his last start when he allowed two runs, giving him 12 runs surrendered in his last 16 innings.

On Tuesday night, the Rockies will have Kyle Freeland dealing. He hasn’t show any signs of faltering as he meets expectations of most. Freeland has a 3.28 ERA, which went up after he lost against the Dodgers in his last start. Although it was his loss, he stayed in for 6.1 innings and allowed three runs. The Rockies will look to see similar work put in, in game two.

Finishing out the series, the Rox have Jon Gray pitching. Can Gray put together a quality start against the Giants? Gray’s stats don’t particularly paint a pretty picture with his 5.40 ERA and 5-6 record. Many know that there is a problem with Jon Gray (as we talked about in this article). Hopefully Gray can improve his command during Wednesday’s game.

Meanwhile, the Giants will have Andrew Suarez on the mound in game one. Suarez has lost his last three outings and has a 5.68 ERA and just one win in his six starts this season.

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Jeff Samardzija will be on the mound for game two. Samardzija has not been doing too hot with his high ERA of 6.23 and losing record of 1-3. This is unlike Samardzija as he is usually one of the most dominant pitchers in the Giants rotation. However, with the way he’s pitching, the Rockies can pounce on his weak spots.

The finale of the series will be pitched by Derek Holland. Like the rest of the Giants pitching in this series, Holland is off to a slow start this season. He’s logged only two wins in his 2-6 record, but his ERA is lower than the other two starters in the series at 4.73.

Did someone say offense?

The Colorado Rockies will, of course, have sluggers Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon in the lineup to put up some runs. Who else will be there to add to it? Trevor Story has been putting up solid numbers so far this season. He’ll definitely be looked upon to continue to drive in runs and add to his 35 RBI.

Carlos Gonzalez will look to stay hot after yesterday’s game as he went 4-for-4 with a home run. If the main core of the Rockies can continue to build upon Sunday’s offensive effort, they may have a chance to sweep against the Giants.

The Giants, like always, have Brandon Belt to create good at-bats against the Rox pitching staff. He’s hitting .333 over the last week. Brandon Crawford has been on a tear as of late, hitting .438 in his last five games, while Gorkys Hernandez is hitting .455 over the same span.

Next: Trevor Story and the revolving door at second base

Overall this series will be yet another test for the Colorado Rockies. It’s a test to see if they can hold down the fort in the National League West. Playing against the Giants is a key series due to them being division rivals as well as that the NL West is a seriously competitive division at this moment in time.

Game 1 on Monday starts at 5:10 p.m. (Mountain). Keep up with coverage by following @RoxPileFS on Twitter as we will be covering the game live from Coors Field.

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