San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies (8/19/22) Starting Lineup, Betting Odds, Prediction
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The Giants, 7-3 over their last 10 games, are fighting hard to climb back into the NL wild card race, and that fight now brings them to Colorado for a 3-game weekend series. Alex Wood gets the start for the Giants on Friday, while Jose Urena takes another turn through the Rockies’ rotation.
Let’s take a look at starting lineups, betting odds, and predictions for Friday’s matchup.
San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies Betting Odds
The Giants are modest -155 favorites in this one, with the over/under set at 11.5 runs in the thin air of Coors Field. You could understand why the Rockies are only slight underdogs, as they’re 33-30 at home while the Giants are 25-30 on the road.
Despite the Giants’ recovery from a terrible July, San Francisco still barely snatched victory from the hands of defeat against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday before losing Wednesday and Thursday. Still, with Jose Urena on the mound, I’m not ready to put a ton of faith in the Rockies.
San Francisco Giants Starting Lineup
LF J. Pederson L
3B W. Flores R
1B B. Belt L
DH E. Longoria R
CF M. Yastrzemski L
2B T. Estrada R
SS B. Crawford L
C J. Bart R
RF L. Wade L
San Francisco Giants vs. Jose Urena
Jose Urena, once an Opening Day starter for the Marlins, has struggled since joining the Rockies’ rotation in July. He has a 5.02 ERA over eight starts, with a 5.58 FIP, 1.61 WHIP, and a rough 4.4 BB/9 rate. Urena has struggled with walks throughout his career, and while he’s done a half-decent job of limiting home runs in a hitter-friendly environment, there are too many red flags to have much confidence in him.
If there’s any silver lining, Urena’s ERA is inflated a bit by an ugly start against the Dodgers last month. The Giants don’t pose nearly the same threat as the Dodgers do at Coors Field. The Giants’ offense has taken a step forward in August, with a .736 OPS that would stand as their second-highest mark out of five months this season. Production has been hit-or-miss, but hit is much more likely than miss in this environment.
The biggest factor in the Giants’ improvement lately has been their health. Brandon Crawford is back from the IL and hit a walk-off home run Tuesday, while LaMonte Wade Jr. is finally starting to hit like he did in 2021 with 4 home runs in his last 8 games. The Giants walk more than any team other than the Yankees and Dodgers, making this an appetizing matchup against Urena and his control issues.
Colorado Rockies Starting Lineup
LF C. Joe R
RF R. Grichuk R
2B B. Rodgers R
1B C.J. Cron R
SS J. Iglesias R
DH E. Montero R
3B R. McMahon L
C B. Serven R
CF W. Bernard R
Colorado Rockies vs. Alex Wood
The Rockies miss Giants ace Logan Webb in this series and will open against Alex Wood, who carries a 4.18 ERA and promising 3.33 FIP into this start. Wood has 119 strikeouts over 118.1 innings, with a 1.19 WHIP and solid 0.9 HR/9 rate. Wood has made three starts against the Rockies this season: two strong ones at home and one shorter outing in Colorado. That’s pretty much how it goes at Coors Field, so don’t necessarily expect six or seven strong innings from the Giants’ steady lefty.
The Rockies hit much better against lefties, batting .281 with a .774 OPS over a sample size of more than 1500 plate appearances this season. Interestingly, though, Colorado has hit right-handers better at home. This is still a risky start for Wood, whose overall numbers could take a hit in Colorado as so many pitchers have become all too familiar with.
The Rockies haven’t been getting much production out of C.J. Cron or Charlie Blackmon of late, instead relying on Brendan Rodgers’ reliable contact bat and Ryan McMahon’s resurgent power. Considering Wood has done a nice job of limiting home runs (even at Coors Field), it may be up to Rodgers and others to string together hits if the Rockies want to open this series with a win.
San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies Picks & Prediction
My pick: Giants Moneyline (-155)
The Giants are getting healthy and just starting to play like it. While the thin air in Colorado will probably mean neither pitching staff is coming out of this unscathed, the Giants are primed for a bounce-back series and have a dream matchup with Jose Urena. Given they’re not massive favorites on Friday, the moneyline still has some value for the Giants.
