San Francisco @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2011 ) San Francisco 8, Colorado 5
THE STORY: Pablo Sandoval put his name in the history books and the San Francisco Giants kept alive their slim hopes of defending their world championship as they began a four-game series at Coors Field on Thursday with an 8-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Sandoval became the 25th player in Giants history to hit for the cycle, completing the feat with a triple in the sixth inning. San Francisco's fifth straight win drew it within seven games of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West and six of the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card race with 12 contests remaining. Colorado has won three of its last five.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NBC (San Francisco), Root Sports (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (11-12, 3.33 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Alex White (2-1, 8.18 ERA).
Bumgarner allowed one run over five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday to improve to 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his last four starts. The 22-year-old has yielded more than two runs just twice in his last 10 outings. Bumgarner is 0-1 in two meetings with Colorado this season despite giving up only two earned runs over 13 innings. He is 0-3 in five career starts versus the Rockies.
White has won each of his last two outings even though he has surrendered 11 runs over 10 innings. On Saturday, the rookie allowed seven runs - including a franchise record-tying five homers - over five frames against the Cincinnati Reds. White has yielded 21 runs over 22 innings in four starts with the Rockies since being acquired from Cleveland on July 30.
ABOUT THE ROCKIES (70-79): With shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (hip) and first baseman Todd Helton (back) already sidelined, Colorado lost Carlos Gonzalez on Thursday as the right fielder aggravated a right wrist injury when he crashed into the wall on Sandoval's sixth-inning double. Gonzalez originally injured the wrist on July 3 and aggravated it later that month, landing on the disabled list until Aug. 6. Franchise wins leader Aaron Cook, who was removed from the rotation after his outing on Sept. 4 at San Diego, will start Colorado's final home game of the year on Wednesday. It could be the last start as a Rockie for Cook, whose $11 million option for 2012 likely will bought out.
ABOUT THE GIANTS (80-70): Sandoval homered in the first inning, singled in the second and doubled in the fifth en route to his cycle, which is the fourth by a visiting player at Coors Field and second by a Giant. Fred Lewis, who was the most recent Giant to accomplish the feat on May 13, 2007, also did it in Denver. Closer Brian Wilson missed his 28th straight game due to inflammation in his right elbow. Wilson, who has not pitched since Aug. 15, faced live hitters Thursday for the second time in three days and hopes to appear in a game before the season ends.
FINAL PITCH: "I was tired, but I was happy. It was my first time (hitting) a cycle in the big leagues, so I had to be happy. No matter what, if I'm tired, I'm still going to be happy." - Sandoval.