The San Francisco Giants host the Colorado Rockies this weekend in an NL West showdown.
The Giants have done everything possible to separate themselves from the pack, and are looking like the favorites to run away with the division.
It's only June, but this already looks like a must-win series for Colorado if they have any hope of hanging around in the NL West.
The Rockies will have to do it without key starters Nolan Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer, who are all currently on the disable list.
Records:
Giants: 43-24, 1st place in NL West, 8.5 games ahead of Los Angeles.
Rockies: 31-35, 3rd place in NL West, 11.5 games behind San Francisco.
Season Series: Tied 4-4 (May 22nd 's game is suspended 2-2 in the 6th inning, to be made up later in the season)
San Francisco Outlook: The Giants dropped three of four to the Nationals, losing just their second home series of the year.
Still, their lead in the West shrunk by just one over that four game series, and sits at a comfortable 8.5 games.
While the Giants played some uncharacteristic baseball to start the week, they capped the series with a 7-1 win on Thursday – chalk it up as a mini-slump, and nothing more.
Brandon Crawford has been a surprisingly strong contributor thus far, posting a .260 average with seven homers and 35 driven in, and has found his name higher up in the batting order as a result.
Meanwhile, Tim Hudson took over the NL ERA lead with his performance on Thursday, surpassing Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto. He owns a 1.81 ERA in 13 starts this year.
Colorado Outlook: The Rockies have been a mess lately, with a 3-8 June record to date.
They've lost four games in the standings because of it, and face an uphill battle just to catch Los Angeles for second place in the division.
Part of their struggles can be attributed to the injury bug, as Colorado has lost Arenado (fractured finger), Gonzalez (finger surgery) and Cuddyer (fractured shoulder) in a span of three weeks.
On the bright side, Colorado got a glimmer of hope in the debut of rookie Tyler Matzek, who pitched seven strong innings en route to a victory over Atlanta. He should stick in the rotation long-term if he continues to impress.
Troy Tulowitzki (.356 avg, 17 HR's, 43 RBI's) and Charlie Blackmon (.298 avg, 12 HR's, 43 RBI's) continue to pace the offense, and will have to keep it up if Colorado is to hold serve in the standings while their other impact bats heal.
What To Watch For:
Keep an eye on how the Rockies offense will fare against the Giants pitching this time around.
Colorado has averaged 4.5 runs per game against San Francisco this season, but that came with a mostly healthy lineup.
Although the Rockies scored 18 total runs in their previous two games, the offense averaged just three runs in the 10 games prior to that – which of those offenses shows up this weekend may determine the series.
For San Francisco, Brandon Hicks may be on the hot seat. While he surprised with some clutch hits early in the season, he is hitting just .182 for the year.
With the rest of the lineup locked in, Hicks needs to start hitting again, or his spot may be in danger. How he does this weekend could be telling for his future with the club.
What They're Saying - Rockies:
Carlos Gonzalez could be out of the lineup for five weeks (Denver Post)
Tyler Matzek shines in unforgettable Major League debut (Rockies Review)
What They're Saying - Giants:
Bochy not Paniking at second, voices belief in Hicks (SFGiants.com)
Giants win makes Hudson ERA leader (CSN Bay Area)
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