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Bumgarner seeks first victory as Giants battle Rockies

May 7, 2011 - 2:58 PM (Sports Network) - The Giants have had the Rockies' number at the early going of the season. San Francisco starter Madison Bumgarner hopes that trend continues tonight when he tries again for his first victory of the season in the second contest of a three-game series versus Colorado at AT&T Park.

Bumgarner is 0-5 with a 4.75 earned run average and will try to avoid losing a fourth straight start tonight. He dropped his fifth consecutive losing decision to open the season on Monday in Washington even though he allowed just two unearned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings. He got no support in the 2-0 loss and the Giants have scored one run or less in five of his six starts this year.

"It's a shame we couldn't get him a win tonight," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "He threw great. But there's not much you can do if you don't hit."

The 21-year-old southpaw is 0-2 with a 4.24 ERA in three career starts versus the Rockies, but San Francisco as a whole has had better luck in this series. After after taking two of three in Colorado back in April and last night's opener of this three-tame series, the Giants have now won seven of their last nine versus the Rockies.

San Francisco needed to rally to win on Friday night, getting a game-tying two-run double from Nate Schierholtz in the eighth inning before Freddy Sanchez drove in the winning run in the ninth inning with a single up the middle that plated Cody Ross.

"Hopefully this gets a spark going," Sanchez said after his club won for the third time in four games.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo home run while Carlos Gonzalez and Jonathan Herrera each had an RBI for the Rockies, who have lost four of five.

"I'm definitely not at my best right now, but you're going to have times like that during the season. It's about how fast you turn it around, so hopefully I can get going here," Tulowitzki said after belting the 100th homer of his career.

The Rockies hope that Esmil Rogers can make his first start since April 25, but his status is in doubt due to upper back discomfort that could instead land him on the disabled list.

The 25-year-old beat the Cubs in his last start after allowing three runs on eight hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings of work. However, he had his next start pushed back until tonight due to a combination of off days and rainouts as manager Jim Tracy wanted to keep the rest of his starters on their regular routines.

Rogers did make a relief appearance on Sunday, but was hammered for four runs on four hits and two walks while recording just three outs. He is 3-1 with a 7.66 earned run average in five games (four starts) this season.

Tracy hopes that the extra rest will help Rogers solve the Giants. The right- hander was blitzed for eight runs over just three innings of an 8-1 loss on April 18 and is 0-2 with a 10.06 ERA in five career meetings with San Francisco, including three starts.

If Rogers can't go in this game, Clayton Mortensen will make the start instead.

Mortensen, a 26-year-old righty, owns seven career starts but has pitched just twice out of the bullpen this season for Colorado. He hasn't allowed a run in eight total innings and he faced the Giants on April 18, hurling six scoreless innings of two-hit ball in relief of Rogers.