Last season, the San Francisco Giants had an MLB-best 107 wins, greatly exceeding preseason expectations. This year San Francisco matched its 55 regular season losses from 2021 in early August and is trying to climb back into the NL wild-card race.
The Giants have to make up some ground if they want to reach the postseason for the second straight season despite a recent stretch of winning eight of 10 games prior to losing two straight to Arizona. They will try to get back on the winning track when they travel to Colorado to face the Rockies.
San Francisco will send Alex Cobb (4-6, 3.99 ERA) against Colorado’s Jose Urena (1-4, 4.80) on Friday in the first of a three-game series.
The Giants have struggled to find consistency most of the year, but Cobb has been a steady performer in the rotation.
Cobb, in his first season with San Francisco, spent his first 11 in the American League and has never lost to the Rockies. He is 3-0 with a 5.71 ERA in three starts against them, with two of those games at Coors Field.
Cobb, 34, pitched well in his last start, a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks in San Francisco. He has given up three or fewer runs in each of his last four outings and has been a reason for the Giants getting back into the playoff hunt.
So has catcher Joey Bart, who was sent to Triple-A earlier this year but has been a cog since returning to San Francisco on July 6. He has raised his average and cut down on strikeouts since coming back to the Giants.
Bart is batting .405 (15-for-37) with two homers and seven strikeouts in August.
“It’s been a stretch of performance now that’s starting to feel like we can build on it,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. “It’s a testament to his toughness. It’s very difficult to go through what he went through. … What stands out to me the most is how much respect he’s earned with his toughness. I think it’s really fulfilling for everyone to see him have this success.”
Colorado returns home after being swept in three games by St. Louis and has lost five straight overall. A 13-0 loss Thursday was especially painful with injuries suffered by pitcher Antonio Senzatela and outfielder Charlie Blackmon.
Blackmon’s leg injury will keep him out of Friday night’s game, but manager Bud Black said he won’t need to go on the injured list. Senzatela’s leg injury looked more severe.
“Antonio is going to get a MRI (Friday morning),” Black said. “He definitely has a (left) knee sprain to a certain extent. How significant? We won’t know until tomorrow. Devastating, right?”
Senzatela was on the injured list in July and it gave the 30-year-old Urena a chance with the Rockies. He has pitched at least six innings in five of his eight starts with Colorado, including his last two, but his only victory came on July 16.
He is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in five career appearances — three starts — against the Giants.
–Field Level Media
