Hello, Rockies

It’s kind of weird to be a week and a half into May and realize that the San Francisco Giants haven’t faced the Colorado Rockies or Arizona Diamondbacks. They’ve faced the San Diego Padres for just one three-game series, and the Los Angeles Dodgers for just a two-game set.

The Giants have played the Washington Nationals more than the NL West this season.

But now the Giants get to host the Rockies, who sport one of the more surprising records of the young season. A surprising record that’s primed for regression, I would note, given their still-quite-bad run differential.

We don’t know when that regression will occur. The Giants are hoping it occurs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I am also hoping for that. Please join me in this hope.

Series details

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: Monday (6:45 p.m. PT), Tuesday (6:45 p.m. PT), and Wednesday (12:45 p.m. PT)
National broadcasts: None

Projected starters:
Monday: Carlos Rodón vs. Austin Gomber
Tuesday: Alex Wood vs. Antonio Senzatela
Wednesday: Alex Cobb vs. Chad Kuhl

Where they stand

Giants

Record: 16-12, T-3rd in the NL West
Run differential: +24, T-4th in the NL
Momentum: 1-game winning streak, 3-7 in their last 10 games

Rockies

Record: 16-12, T-3rd in the NL West
Run differential: -13, 11th in the NL
Momentum: 1-game losing streak, 6-4 in their last 10 games

Three Giants to watch

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Evan Longoria: Longoria has not been activated for Monday’s game against the only lefty starter the Giants will face in this series. But he’s with the team, and his time rehabbing with AAA Sacramento is over.

With Jason Vosler optioned, the Giants don’t have a left-handed hitting third baseman, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Longoria activated during this series, even though the Giants are facing righties on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Brandon Belt: Belt’s due for a few weird absences every year, and this year he’s already been hit by COVID and neck tightness. Thankfully those absences didn’t last long, and we’re all ready to see the Captain find his groove again and start leading the Giants offense out of its funk.

Carlos Rodón: My new motto is always watch Carlos Rodón. Always. He’s given up five earned runs in 29 innings and struck out 41 of the 111 batters he’s faced. Always watch Carlos Rodón.

Three Rockies to watch

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Connor Joe: It seems like forever ago that the Giants took Connor Joe in the Rule 5 Draft, put him on the Opening Day roster, let him make his MLB debut, and then DFA’d him after 16 plate appearances. He’s caught on with the Rockies and having a brilliant season, hitting .267/.347/.467, good for a 123 wRC+, while playing left field, right field, and third base. The Giants won’t see Kris Bryant this series, as he is both struggling and injured, but Joe could offer up a painful serving of what could have been.

C.J. Cron: Cron is destroying the baseball, and it’s not just because he plays half of his games at Coors Field. He ranks eighth in the Majors in position player fWAR (1.5), 12th in wRC+ (172), and tied for first in home runs (9). And he’s a righty in a series where the Giants are using two lefty starters.

Antonio Senzatela: The Giants were on the verge of doing something remarkable on Sunday, as it wasn’t until a late plate appearance by Joc Pederson that they suffered their first strikeout of the day. They finished the game with just the one K, which is as rare a sight as you’ll find in this era. They have a chance to do that again on Tuesday when they face Senzatela. The righty has done a decent job of run prevention this year, with a 3.75 ERA and a 4.32 FIP. And his walk suppression has been great, as he’s issued just five free passes in 24 innings. But he’s given up 40 hits in those 24 innings and, most shockingly, struck out just seven batters. He’s faced 109 hitters, and struck out seven of them. That is a very odd thing to see, and something the Giants are likely quite excited about.