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Giants kick off series in Colorado

Sep 15, 2011 - 3:06 PM (Sports Network) - Poor run support has left All-Star Ryan Vogelsong without a victory for a month. With their backs against the wall, the Giants and their offense seem to be coming around though.

San Francisco tries to win a fifth straight game for the first time in nearly three months this evening in the opener of a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Vogelsong had a 10-2 mark after his last victory on Aug. 14. He has dropped five straight starts since despite a solid 3.38 earned run average, but the Giants have scored just four runs in those five games.

San Francisco has been shut out twice over the right-hander's losing streak, including Saturday versus the Dodgers. Vogelsong gave up all three runs in a 3-0 loss over eight innings, giving him a 10-7 mark and 2.66 ERA on the season.

The 34-year-old is 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA in three games versus the Rockies this year, allowing a run over 15 2/3 innings.

The Giants, meanwhile, haven't lost since Vogelsong's last start, winning four straight for the first time since July 9-15. A victory tonight would give them their longest win streak since claiming seven in a row from June 22-28.

San Francisco finished off a three-game sweep of the Padres on Wednesday, getting a pair of solo homers from Carlos Beltran in a 3-1 win. He hit the go- ahead blast in the sixth inning and reached 300 homers for his career.

"It means a lot to me," Beltran said of his milestone.

Tim Lincecum settled down to earn his first win in three weeks after giving up an unearned run in the first inning. He yielded four hits and two walks while striking out six over seven innings.

"We made a mistake in the first inning and they got a two-out hit, but [Lincecum] had great stuff," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "He could have gone a little further, but we've been working him pretty hard."

The defending World Series champions are 7 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West as well as 6 1/2 games behind the Braves for the wild card position. Both of those clubs are idle today.

San Francisco opens a 10-game road trip tonight against a Colorado club that will likely be without Troy Tulowitzki (left hip) and Todd Helton (back) due to nagging injuries. While both could return at some point this season, manager Jim Tracy said neither will return until healthy.

The shorthanded Rockies still managed to win for the third time in four games on Wednesday, besting the Brewers, 6-2. Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs to snap his club's six-game slide in Milwaukee.

Mark Ellis had four hits and an RBI, while Kevin Millwood held up the pitching end by limiting the Brewers to two runs in six innings.

"I can't say enough about the job Kevin Millwood has done since he's been here," said Tracy. "He's been great with the lead and sets up our bullpen as well."

Jhoulys Chacin gets the start tonight for the Rockies and he had a two-game win streak snapped on Friday versus the Reds. The righty allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings of a 4-1 loss, marking the fourth time in six games he failed to pitch at least six frames.

Chacin, 23, is 11-11 with a 3.64 ERA on the season and 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA lifetime versus the Giants.

San Francisco has won seven of 11 versus Colorado this year and 11 of the last 16 meetings overall.