Giants vs. Rockies MLB Schedule Preview: Looking To Gain Ground On Rivals

The San Francisco Giants looked mostly-good in their three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks, taking two of three at Chase Field. They failed to get the sweep in game three, when they battled back from a 4-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead, before squandering that and going into extra innings. Their pitching didn't hold up (they ran out of arms) and the Diamondbacks got the win in the twelfth inning. It would have been nice to end the series with a win, but he Giants should feel good about themselves heading into the next series.

Now, they'll continue their six-game road trip and head to take on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies have been red-hot so far this season, sporting a 12-3 record, good for first in the NL West. They were winners in their last outing, a 9-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs, but did have a seven-game winning streak broken in the outing prior, an 8-3 beatdown by the aforementioned Cubs. Everything is working for Colorado, with strong pitching and hitting throughout their entire lineup.

So how good are they? The verdict has yet to be turned in on that front, as they've got four of their wins from the struggling New York Mets, and took two from the below-average Cubs. That isn't to say that the Giants are a cut above those teams, but this isn't a story of NL West juggernaut versus NL West also-ran. This is a Rockies team coming into its own versus the defending World Series champions, albeit one who is really struggling out of the gate.

The Giants will be sending out the top of the order: Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain to duel against Esmil Rogers, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Jorge De La Rosa. Andres Torres remains out for the Giants, he won't be eligible to return until April 26th, which means Aaron Rowand will likely continue to bat leadoff. Regardless of who's batting, expect this to be a low-scoring series that will be key in showing who is more likely to speed up and who is more likely to level out in the NL West.