Colorado @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 10, 2013 ) Colorado 9, San Francisco 8

Yusmeiro Petit will make another audition for a spot in the 2014 starting rotation when the San Francisco Giants host the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday in the season series finale. Petit, who was designated for assignment twice this season, had a perfect game broken up with two outs in the ninth inning against Arizona on Sept. 6. The Rockies improved to 3-34 on the road when their opponent scores first after rallying from a six-run deficit to score a wild 9-8 victory Tuesday in a game that took just over four hours.

Colorado's Michael Cuddyer hit a pair of home runs - including a solo shot to lead off the ninth inning - to give him 20 homers and 80 RBIs. He raised his average to .33033, trailing only Atlanta's Chris Johnson (.33039) in the National League batting race. Hunter Pence recorded his second career six-RBI game and joined the 20-20 club for the first time (20 homers, 21 stolen bases) when he delivered a three-run shot off the left field foul pole in the first inning.

TV: 3:45 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Juan Nicasio (8-7, 4.68 ERA) vs. Giants RH Yusmeiro Petit (3-0, 2.05)

Nicasio allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits while striking out seven in six innings and received a no-decision in Colorado's 4-3 loss at San Diego. The 27-year-old struck out nine in six shutout innings in a 6-1 victory over San Francisco on Aug. 26 and is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA in five lifetime starts against the Giants. Nicasio, who has walked 54 and struck out 108, has pitched more than six innings only twice in 27 starts - both seven-inning efforts.

Petit was one strike away from becoming the 24th pitcher in major-league history to record a perfect game before Eric Chavez's line drive fell in front of diving right fielder Pence. The 28-year-old, who made his major-league debut with Florida in 2006, allowed two runs and six hits while striking out six in a 5-3 victory at Colorado on Aug. 27. Petit is 13-20 with a 5.19 ERA in 76 games (40 starts), and struck out a career-high 10 in an 8-2 victory at Arizona on Sept. 1.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rockies 2B DJ LeMahieu drove in two runs Tuesday and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He is hitting .388 during that span.

2. Pence became the first Giant to record a 20-20 season since Barry Bonds (37 home runs, 28 stolen bases) in 1998.

3. Colorado's victory Tuesday was only the second in eight tries in San Francisco in 2013 and tied the season series 9-9.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Rockies 2