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Giants hope to get the brooms out in Colorado

Apr 20, 2011 - 2:40 PM (Sports Network) - The Colorado Rockies suddenly don't look so unbeatable. The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants have made sure of that.

Having thoroughly outscored the Rockies over the first two contests of this three-game series, the Giants try for their first sweep in Denver since 2002 this afternoon at Coors Field.

The Giants have slugged five homers and outscored the Rockies, 14-4, in taking the first two games of this set. Nine of those runs have come in the first inning, including four in last night's 6-3 victory. Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run homer in the opening frame and Aubrey Huff later slapped a two-run shot to back Jonathan Sanchez to a win despite losing Aaron Rowand to an arm contusion in the fourth inning.

"When you get up early it eases the tension," Huff said. "It forces them to be more aggressive and with the way our pitchers have been throwing that's really tough."

Sanchez gave up three runs -- two earned -- on just two hits and four walks over 6 1/3 innings for the Giants, who have won two straight and six of seven to pull within two games of the Rockies for first place in the National League West.

These two clubs split 18 meetings a season ago, but the Giants are now in position to sweep a series at Coors Field for the first time since taking all four games of a set on Aug. 26-29, 2002.

Colorado came into the series with the best record in baseball, a distinction it still shares with Cleveland at 12-5 despite losses in three of four since a seven-game win streak. However, the club no longer looks like the hottest team in baseball and has lost its first series of the season.

The red-hot bats of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez have also cooled. The due is just 1-for-14 so far in this series.

Even the return of ace Ubaldo Jimenez could not lift Colorado, though a 37- pitch first inning didn't help the hurler in his first start since April 1, when he tried to pitch despite a cut cuticle on his right thumb that decreased his velocity and eventually landed him on the disabled list.

Jimenez eventually settled down over his five-inning start, getting charged with the four runs on six hits with six strikeouts.

"It's not like I was going to come back and [throw] 100 mph right away," Jimenez said. "I knew it was going to take some time. It's going to get there, just one step at a time."

The Giants appear to be in good shape for the sweep with Matt Cain set to take the hill. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 1.69 earned run average in four starts versus the Rox a season ago, upping his lifetime mark against them to 11-6 with a 2.94 ERA.

Cain is off to an excellent start in 2011, going 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA over his first three starts, yielding three runs over 19 innings. He is coming off a victory at Arizona on Friday that saw him give up a run on four hits and two walks in six innings of work.

"I felt good out there and was trying to throw both sides of the plate," said the 26-year-old Cain. "Those guys over there have been swinging the bat well and I wanted to keep them off balance."

Colorado counters with Jorge De La Rosa, who appears to have put behind him a blister on his left finger that prevented him from going deep in his first two starts.

De La Rosa did not pitch past the sixth inning in starts against the Diamondbacks and Pirates, but hurled 6 2/3 frames in beating the Mets last Thursday. He gave up four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven in the 9-4 triumph.

The 30-year-old southpaw is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA this season and 6-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 12 career games versus the Giants, including nine starts.