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Giants-Rockies Preview

Aug 4, 2010 - 5:56 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

San Francisco (61-45) at Colorado (55-50), 3:10 p.m. EDT

Now that Ubaldo Jimenez appears to have regained his All-Star form, he can focus on helping the Colorado Rockies cool off the surging San Francisco Giants.

The right-hander has a chance to match the Colorado single-season franchise record for victories Wednesday afternoon when he tries to prevent the visiting Giants from extending their winning streak to five games.

After allowing 12 runs and nine walks over 7 1-3 innings while going 0-1 in his previous two starts, Jimenez (16-2, 2.67 ERA) gave up one run and four hits in seven innings of a 9-3 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday.

"It (felt) really good," Jimenez said after his first win since starting the All-Star game for the NL.

Jimenez now looks to tie Kevin Ritz (1996), Pedro Astacio (1999), and current teammate Jeff Francis (2007) for most wins in a season by a Rockie. He attributed his patience and ability to stay calm for overcoming a couple of poor starts.

"It's really hard, but that's a part of the game and you have to be able to control your emotions, because they can eat you up," Jimenez told the Rockies' official website. "But I'm a good learner."

Jimenez is 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts against the Giants, but has been inconsistent in two this year. After tossing a four-hitter and striking out nine in a 4-0 win at San Francisco on May 31, he gave up seven runs in six innings of an 11-8 home loss to the Giants on July 3.

San Francisco (62-45) should feel confident no matter who is on the mound after opening this series with a 10-0 win Tuesday. The Giants have won four in a row and 21 of 26 to move within a game of first-place San Diego in the NL West.

"Come in here and you're hoping to put some runs on the board," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

Andres Torres and rookie Buster Posey each had three hits with two RBIs as San Francisco matched a season high with 19 hits, also the most allowed by Colorado (55-51) this season.

Posey, batting .356 since being recalled from the minors May 29, is 11 for 28 against the Rockies in 2010. Torres is hitting .370 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his last 12 games.

If Posey hits the ball well again, that may help fellow San Francisco rookie Madison Bumgarner (4-3, 2.70) bounce back from his first loss in almost a month.

Since allowing four runs in seven innings of a 7-3 loss in his first appearance against the Rockies at Coors on July 1, the 21-year-old left-hander went 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his next four starts before giving up three runs in six innings of a 5-0 defeat to Florida on Thursday.

"It's pretty nice to have your fifth starter go out there and give you a chance to win every game," Bochy told the Giants' official website. "I can't say it's a surprise, but it's nice to have a kid come up and pitch the way he's been throwing and handle himself the way he has."

Todd Helton went 1 for 4 against Bumgarner last month, and had one of three hits Tuesday for the Rockies, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Helton, who returned after missing a month with back stiffness, is batting a career-low .247. He is 5 for 28 against the Giants this season.