On the heels of a seven-game winning streak, the Colorado Rockies head to San Francisco for the first time to face off against the Giants for the second time. It was a victory against the Giants in the final game at Coors Field a week ago that kicked off the Rockies current streak which is a trend that the team hopes to continue after a strong series showing in San Diego. However, the Giants have always been a tough assignment for the Rockies and they will have to overcome that hurdle if they hope to keep the good times rolling.

Here are a few things to watch for in the coming series.

Pitching Probables

5/17: Ryan Feltner (1-3, 5.20 ERA) vs. Kyle Harrison (3-1, 3.42 ERA)

5/18: Ty Blach (1-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Jordan Hicks (3-1. 2.44 ERA)

5/19: Dakota Hudson (1-6, 6.13 ERA) vs. TBD

Giant problems

It’s been a rough few years for the Rockies against the Giants as San Francisco has gone 40-14 against the Rockies since 2021. The Rockies are 5-20 at Oracle Park in that same span, last having won a series in San Francisco back in June 2022. Oracle Park’s environment is not very conducive to offense but for some reason, San Francisco just hits quite well against the Rockies pitching regardless of where they play. The Rockies offense outscored San Diego 19-7 in their series but will face a tough customer in Kyle Harrison who blanked the Rockies for seven innings a week ago. Can the Rockies overcome their struggles in San Francisco and show improvement against a recent foe on the mound?

Pass the baton

The Rockies will send their 3-5 starters to the mound in San Francisco which will make their efforts to keep the streak going a little tougher. All three starters are coming off better outings their last times out, with Feltner and Blach delivering solid outings against Texas and Hudson against the Padres. The key to the Rockies’ success has been their starting rotation, specifically Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber. In order to keep the success going, they need the rest of the rotation will have to find a level of consistency from start to start. The Giants’ lineup has improved slightly since they met a week ago with Heliot Ramos and Luis Matos joining the lineup, not to mention that the Rockies are still just 6-16 on the road this season and have their history of struggles in San Francisco. Still, if the rotation can throw strikes and utilize a stellar defense behind them, there won’t be much to worry about.

Roster shuffle

A key to the success of the Rockies recently has been timely hitting and growth from some of the less experienced players like Ezequiel Tovar, Elehuris Montero and Brenton Doyle. They have been instrumental in the offensive mojo but with Kris Bryant likely returning to the roster this weekend starting Friday, how will that affect the fates of Jordan Beck, Sean Bouchard, and Hunter Goodman? It would appear the Rockies have settled on Beck, giving him the opportunities to work through growing pains at the big league level with everyday playing time. General manager Bill Schmidt indicated that Beck would probably return to right field when Nolan Jones was able to return from the injury after the weekend, but that means more roster shuffling will happen. A “severely arthritic” back for Bryant will hopefully end his outfield days, but how will that change Montero’s chances of getting more playing time? There are a lot of questions to be asked and the Rockies have to hope the return of Bryant doesn’t impede the hot roll of the offense.