Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Andres Torres, Freddy Sanchez Get Ryan Vogelsong His Fourth Win

The San Francisco Giants were able to take the rubber match of their three game series with the Colorado Rockies, winning 2-1 on Sunday. Rockies pitcher Jason Hammel took a no-hitter into the sixth inning but couldn’t hold it up as he gave up a hit to Miguel Tejada for the first Giants hit of the game. The Giants got a pair of RBI singles and Brian Wilson nailed down the game with his 17th save on the season. Ryan Vogelsong improved to 4-1 with a 1.68 ERA on the season.

The Rockies jumped on top 1-0 courtesy of a Chris Iannetta home run in the fifth. Hammel was in control into the fifth inning but began struggling with his control. In the sixth he got the first two outs via Eli Whiteside and Ryan Vogelsong. However, he walked Andres Torres on four pitches and then gave up the first hit to Miguel Tejada. Freddy Sanchez followed with a single to knock in Torres and tie the game at one.

The game remained tied into the eighth when Matt Lindstrom came on in relief of Hammel. Burrell hit for Whiteside and drew an inning-opening walk. Emmanuel Burriss ran for Burrell and was sacrificed over to second by Vogelsong, and then advanced to third on a passed ball. Andres Torres then drove him in with a single to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

Brian Wilson came on in the ninth to lock down his 17th save with a 1-2-3 inning. The victory moves the Giants into a tie for first place with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona is currently trailing the Washington Nationals 4-0 in the bottom of the eighth so the Giants could find themselves back in sole possession of first place by the end of the afternoon.

Giants vs. Rockies, Starting Lineups: Miguel Tejada, Freddy Sanchez Back in Lineup Sunday

The San Francisco Giants have the fourth best home record in the NL at 14-9 so far in 2011, and will look to extended that record Sunday at AT&T Park. They face a Rockies team that has lost eight of their last 10 and have only three road wins since the beginning of May. They also have the pitcher with the lowest ERA in May taking the mound in Ryan Vogelsong (0.57 ERA in May). Sounds like the Giants should win right?

But as they say, that’s why they play the games.

As for Sunday’s lineup, Miguel Tejada and Freddy Sanchez will both be back in at third and second base respectfully, batting second and third respectfully. Eli Whiteside will be back behind the dish to catch Vogelsong, Nate Schierholtz will be in right batting fifth, while Brandon Crawford remains at shortstop batting seventh.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Miguel Tejada 3B
3. Freddy Sanchez 2B
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Nate Schierholtz RF
6. Cody Ross LF
7. Brandon Crawford SS
8. Eli Whiteside C
9. Ryan Vogelsong P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Eric Young CF
2. Seth Smith RF
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Todd Helton 1B
6. Ty Wigginton 3B
7. Chris Nelson 2B
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Jason Hammel P

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT this afternoon with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of everything San Francisco Giants, head on over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Giants vs. Rockies, Schedule Preview: Ryan Vogelsong Looking to Continue Dominance at Home

After the San Francisco Giants came ever so close to coming back against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday there’s nothing to do but turn around and move on to next. And luckily for the Giants they are sending out Ryan Vogelsong, who has been absolutely devastating to opposing batters at AT&T Park this season.

Vogelsong (3-1 1.77 ERA) has been stellar in his time with San Francisco, but has been at his best when he’s actually in San Francisco, sporting a 1-1 record with a 0.38 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched at AT&T Park. But Vogelsong hasn’t won since May 14, something that will hopefully change this afternoon.

Oppositie Vogelsong with be Jason Hammel for the Rox (3-5 3.89 ERA), another Rockies starter that has struggled lately. Hammel hasn’t won a game since April 30, acquiring four losses over that span and a .50 point jump in his ERA. This will be Hammel’s first start against the Giants this year.

After Sunday the Giants won’t meet the Rox again until September, when they’ll have seven games in 14 days, including a three-game set to conclude the season at San Francisco.

First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. PT with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

San Francisco Giants Injury Update: Brandon Belt to DL With Fracture in Wrist

The San Francisco Giants received some more injury related news today, and once again it isn’t a good news.

Rookie Brandon Belt had an MRI Saturday morning, discovering a hairline fracture in his left wrist. The Giants have placed him on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 1.

It’s not that bad,” Belt said. “It’s just a hairline fracture, a little bit chipped off just a tad.”

Belt was hit on the wrist by Cardinals pitcher Trevor Miller on Tuesday, and was surprised to hear of the fracture due to the fact it felt much better after only a few days. But it’s bad enough to sideline him for a little while, meaning the Giants will bring up another minor leaguer, triple-A Fresno’s Conor Gillespie. Conor currently is sporting a .278 average with three home runs, 32 RBIs and a .355 OBP.

Belt remains positive about the matter and feels it won’t be too long before he’s back with the G-Men:

“Hopefully, a week or two at the most. I just want to make sure I give it the proper rest it needs to make sure it heals properly, so when I do start playing again, it’s not acting up throughout the whole season.”

Luckily Pablo Sandoval will be returning soon for the Giants, but it’s not like Belt was seeing too much playing time before his injury. But he’s another left handed bat the Giants need, as he hopefully will have a speedy recovery.

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Cody Ross' Homer Not Enough As Rockies Win 2-1

As a steady downpour delayed the start by 21 minutes, the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies were set for their second meeting of their three game series at AT&T Park. Madison Bumgarner and Jhoulys Chacin battled it out for the majority of the afternoon while Cody Ross homered on his boblehead day, but the Rockies managed to hang on for a 2-1 victory.

Madison Bumgarner (L 2-7) extended his streak of quality starts to eight in a row this afternoon, but still took the loss, his seventh of the year. Bumgarner last for seven full innings with only one earned run on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts. The runs scored against Bummy came off a throwing error by Brandon Crawford in the fifth, allowing Troy Tulowitzki to score, and a Tulo RBI single in the sixth. Cody Ross’ homer in the sixth, his fifth of the year, gave the Giants some life heading into the last stretch of the game, as the crowd looked for some more AT&T magic.

Jeremy Affeldt pitched a scoreless eighth, followed with another by Ramon Ramirez in the ninth. The Giants couldn’t manage a come back, coming up short after Colorado’s Huston Street closed them out in the ninth, his 15th save of the year.

Jhoulys Chacin (W 6-4) struggled early with his command, but got into a groove that lasted for six innings, allowing four hits, one run, three walks and two strikeouts.

With the loss the Giants move to 32-36 on the year. Full box score can be found here.

The Giants will complete their series with the Rockies Sunday with Ryan Vogelsong (3-1 1.77 ERA) on the mound to face Jason Hammel (3-5 3.89 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on your San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.

Buster Posey Looking to Move Beyond Controversy with Scott Cousins

Giants vs. Rockies, Starting Lineups: Giants Go Young for Saturday Matinee Game

Skipper Bruce Bochy has made some changes to his lineup for Saturday’s meeting with the Colorado Rockies, most notably going very young with almost all of his call-ups starting today. Emmanuel Burriss will be at second base batting second, giving the hot-handed Freddy Sanchez a day off. Nate Schierholtz will bat third and get a second straight start out in right field, while Brandon Crawford will be at short and Chris Stewart will be behind the dish. Miguel Tejada will be back at third after having the day off yesterday.

A bit of rain scheduled for today’s game as well, let’s see how much of a factor it plays in the outcome. Since coming to San Francisco in 1958 the Giants have had 32 games rained out, only five of them happened at AT&T Park.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Emmanuel Burriss 2B
3. Nate Schierholtz RF
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Cody Ross LF
6. Brandon Crawford SS
7. Miguel Tejada 3B
8. Chris Stewart C
9. Madison Bumgarner P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Eric Young CF
2. Jonathan Herrera 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Ty Wigginton 1B
6. Ryan Spilborghs RF
7. Chris Nelson 3B
8. Jose Morales C
9. Jhoulys Chacin P

first pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. PT this afternoon with coverage on the Fox network and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of the Black and Orange head on over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

Giants vs. Rockies MLB Schedule Preview: Madison Bumgarner Looking For Third Straight Win

The San Francisco Giants will look to keep things going against the Colorado Rockies in game two, after a 3-1 win in game one. It almost felt odd to see them go off with seven off more runs and some form of grand slam ... wouldn't that just be swell if they were able to make that some kind of trend? With Buster Posey out, it's the last thing we've all expected, but we'll also take whatever we can get, yeah?

Madison Bumgarner is going to the mound tonight for San Francisco, and he's looking for his third straight win. He's currently sporting a 2-6 record, which doesn't reflect how well he's pitched this season, starting 0-6 was certainly not something anybody predicted, but he's started to get to the level he wants to be at. In four starts against the NL West rival Rockies though, he's 0-2 with a 3.52 ERA.

It's probably good for him then, that the Rockies are having trouble all throughout their team as of late. Their pitching is shaky, and when it's on point, their hitting disappears completely. This year, he got a no-decision in a Giants 3-2 win, giving up only one run in six innings on the mound.

On the flip-side, Jhoulys Chacin is looking to avoid his third straight loss today. He is sporting a much better record than Bumgarner, however, at 5-4, and could seemingly turn it back on at any point. He's got a 3.33 ERA on the season and gave up four runs in six innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last outing. Chacin also has a better record against the Giants than Bumgarner does against Colorado, going 2-1 in three starts with a 2.14 ERA.

Bumgarner will be hoping for run support, hopefully a little more than the three that Matt Cain got (probably a record for him, though). Cody Ross doubled in two runs and scored one of his own in game one, and he'll continue to be counted on as "the guy" in the absence of Pablo Sandoval and the aforementioned Posey.

The game is set for 1:10 p.m. pacific and will be on FOX.

Giants vs. Rockies, MLB Scores: Matt Cain Leads Giants Past Rockies 3-1

The San Francisco Giants returned to AT&T Park on a bit of a soggy night on Third and King, looking to keep their winning streak intact against the Colorado Rockies. Matt Cain was sensational, Cody Ross and Brandon Crawford were clutch, and the Giants beat the Rockies by a score of 3-1.

Cain (W 4-4) lasted for seven full innings, and seemed to get stronger as the night went on. The Rockies only plated one run off of him, on four hits, with four walks and seven strikeouts. The lone run came from a Todd Helton groudner in the fourth. Javy Lopez breezed through the heart of Colorado’s lineup in the eighth, while Brian Wilson made it intersting in the ninth, but still managed his 16th save of the year.

All of the Giants runs came in the fourth, starting with a two RBI double by Cody Ross who finished 2-3 with two doubles. Then Brandon Crawford smacked a RBI double of his own off of the very bottom of the foul pole, scoring Ross easily from second. Emmanuel Burriss had himself a good night as well, finishing 3-4 with three singles.

Rockies starter Juan Nicasio (L 1-1) fared pretty well in his second major league start, allowing three runs on nine hits with only one walk and three punch outs. He also was 2-2 at the plate with two doubles, both of which were hit very well.

Full box score can be found here.

The Rockies and Giants continue their series tomorrow as Madison Bumgarner (2-6 3.66 ERA) will take on Jhoulys Cachin (5-4 3.33 ERA) for the Rocks, with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m. PT. Coverage can be found on the Fox Network as well as KNBR 680 AM.

Giants vs. Rockies, Starting Lineups: Emmanuel Burris at Third, Miguel Tejada Gets a Day Off

The San Francisco Giants are finally back from the muggy humidity of St. Louis to the drizzly shores of McCovey Cove, but not without a few shakeups in the lineup.

Emmanuel Burriss will start at third base giving Miguel Tejada a day off. Hopefully Miggy’s day off will bring him the kind of success it brought Aubrey Huff last night, as Tejada is batting a measly .211/.237.271. But Burriss is really showing his value as a utility player, having made appearances at every infield position as well as some right field, which he never really plays in Fresno. Plus having two speedy switch hitters atop your lineup never hurts either. Nate Schierholtz gets the start in right field, Cody Ross in left, and Brandon Crawford at shortstop.

Speaking of Aubrey Huff, his three home run night on Thursday came on the same day that Willie Mays accomplished the feat in 1963, ironically enough against the Cardinals as well in St. Louis.

And in a bit of injury news Pablo Sandoval and Barry Zito are both in San Jose with the single-A Giants, both on rehab assignment. Zito will be around for four or five appearances in San Jose, while Pablo likely will only play a few then move up to triple-A Fresno for a couple games as well. Pablo could play as little as four total games in the minors before returning, fingers crossed.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Emmanuel Burriss 3B
3. Freddy Sanchez 2B
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Nate Schierholtz RF
6. Cody Ross LF
7. Brandon Crawford SS
8. Eli Whiteside C
9. Matt Cain P

Colorado Rockies Lineup:

1. Seth Smith RF
2. Jonathan Herrera 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Todd Helton 1B
6. Ty Wigginton 3B
7. Chris Iannetta C
8. Dexter Fowler CF
9. Juan Nicasio P

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more discussion and analysis of everything Giants, head on over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.

MLB Standings Update: Giants Back on Top of NL West, For Now

The NL West has seen it's fare share of changes so far into the 2011 season, but the San Francisco Giants have retaken the top spot, but likely only for a little while. The Arizona Diamondbacks are still on quite the hot streak right now, and only trail the Giants by half a game in the division. These two teams have made some separation from the rest of the pack as the Colorado Rockies sit 4.5 games back, the Dodgers 5.5 games back, and the Padres 7.5 games back. Arizona San Francisco and Colorado have had extended streaks of success at points in the season so far, but have also had long droughts, leading to the mainly .500 records in the division.

As for the Wild Card the Florida Marlins still hold on to the top stop there with a record of 31-23, meaning the Giant would be right behind them if they weren't atop the NL West right now. Arizona and Atlanta are tied for second place at 31-26, followed by Milwaukee and Cincinnati. 

Giants vs. Rockies, Schedule Preview: Matt Cain Out to End Recent Skid Against Rockies

The San Francisco Giants are finally back in the Bay, and begin their 10 game homestand with a visit from the Colorado Rockies. Giants fans will be hoping for the same outcome the last time the Rox were at AT&T, a series sweep, and it starts today with Matt Cain.

Cain (3-4 3.88 ERA) will be looking to rebound from his back-to-back losses including his last start against the Brewers where he got rocked for 11 hits and five earned runs in six innings of work. Cain seemingly is always more comfortable at home, and hopefully can turn his ship around and get his record back to .500 for the year.

Colorado will send out Juan Nicasio (1-0 0.00 ERA) who is making only his second start in the big leagues. He pitched well in his first outing after being called up from AA Tulsa, and proved enough worth to get a second crack at it.

Aubrey Huff can hopefully continue what he started in St. Louis, his personal game of home run derby. He might have some challengers in Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, and who knows, may there be a splash down tonight? I have a feeling….

First pitch is set for 7:15 PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

Giants vs. Rockies MLB Series Preview: San Francisco Hoping To Continue Hitting

Well, that was a nice little series for the injury-stricken San Francisco Giants, no? They're without players like Pablo Sandoval and now, Buster Posey ... and they just took three-of-four from the St. Louis Cardinals in very impressive fashion. That's arguably the two best bats in their lineup, and yet they scored seven points runs or more in all three of their wins. That's a great outing, and now they've put themselves in a great position: back on top of the NL West with an Arizona Diamondbacks loss. Now, they'll head back to San Francisco for a ten-game homestand, starting with three games against the division rival Colorado Rockies.

After starting the season very strong (at one point having the best record in all of baseball, if memory serves), they've since fizzled out and are sitting at third place in the NL West. They've lost five straight series, their last win in that regard coming in a two-game sweep against. .. you guessed it, the San Francisco Giants. So that bodes well for them in that regard, but they have lost five of eight so far this year. 

Regardless of ranking or recent history, the Rockies remain a dangerous team that routinely keep up with the Giants. If the Giants are able to keep up the kind of play they demonstrated in the series against the Cardinals, then the Rockies of right now will certainly struggle to keep up. The pitching matchups should be good ones: the Giants are sending out Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and the surprisingly solid Ryan Vogelsong, while the Rockies are sending out Juan Nicasio, Jhoulys Chacin, and Jason Hammel.