The San Francisco Giants are happy to be facing the Colorado Rockies.
San Francisco, which went 14-5 against Colorado last year, extended its winning streak against the Rockies to nine games with a 10-4 victory Tuesday night. It was the first matchup of the teams this year.
They will play the middle game of the three-game series on Wednesday night, when San Francisco will send right-hander Logan Webb (4-6, 2.85 ERA) to the mound against Rockies righty Connor Seabold (1-2, 5.40).
Webb can keep the Giants’ hex over the Rockies going with another good outing. Although he is in the midst of just his third full season, he has faced the Rockies 11 times (10 starts), going 6-2 with a 3.73 ERA. He is 3-1 with a 4.59 ERA in six starts at Denver.
Webb has been a workhorse for the Giants, pitching at least six innings in 11 of his 12 starts this season. He lost in his latest outing, when he gave up three runs over seven innings against the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
He will pitch behind a bolstered lineup. San Francisco got Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson back from the injured list on Tuesday, and Michael Conforto returned to action after being limited to one at-bat in the prior four games due to a bruised left heel.
Estrada had three hits and Pederson and Conforto one apiece in the Giants’ Tuesday win.
A strong lineup is important with the San Francisco rotation still in flux. Tuesday was a bullpen game, and the Thursday starter had not yet been announced, so the Giants will rely on their bats.
“We’re going to need to make plays on defense, but leaning on our offense to make some noise is also part of the game plan,” manager Gabe Kapler said.
Colorado’s rotation also is fluid, which is why Dinelson Lamet started again on Tuesday, and Seabold is slated for Wednesday night.
Seabold will make his seventh start since joining the rotation in early May, and he is giving Colorado a much-needed jolt. The Rockies won his first three starts but have lost his past three outings.
Wednesday will mark his first appearance against San Francisco.
Seabold was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the offseason to fortify the rotation depth and was thrust into a starting role due to injuries. He has been building his stamina, and he tossed a season-high 92 pitches in 5 1/3 innings at Arizona on Thursday.
It was the longest outing of his career, but he was denied a win when the Diamondbacks rallied in the ninth against the Rockies’ bullpen.
Seabold, who is in his third season, has done enough to impress manager Bud Black.
“He’s a good kid — as far as the makeup and the poise, he comes from a good college program (Cal State Fullerton), and he was developed the right way,” Black said. “We’ll see. I mean, he’s so young in his career. … He’s learning on the fly.”
Colorado will need another extended outing from Seabold after Black was forced to use five relievers in the Tuesday loss.
–Field Level Media
