It has not been a pretty series for the Rockies against the San Francisco Giants. Two straight beatdowns from the team with the best record in baseball will remind you that Coors Field magic has its limitations. Now the Rockies will need to scrap one out if they want to avoid being swept for the first time at home. A win today for the Giants would also give them 90 wins on the year, the first team in Major League Baseball to reach that milestone as they fight off the Dodgers for the NL West crown.
Going for win number 90 will be the right hander Anthony DeSclafani ( 11-6, 3.24 ERA). DeSclafani is coming off of an impressive outing against the Dodgers last week that saw him throw six shutout innings with just two hits allowed. He’ll look to build off of that since August was his worst month of the year (5.93 ERA). This will just be DeSclafani’s second career start at Coors Field, his first since 2015 when he allowed three runs in seven innings of work with the Reds.
For Colorado, Jon Gray (7-10, 4.13 ERA) makes his return from the IL after he dealt with forearm tightness. He missed just one start and now looks to get back on track after a rough month of August that saw him go 0-4 and post a 6.55 ERA. Historically, Gray has not pitched well against the Giants with a lifetime ERA of 5.88 through 14 starts. That’s his worst career ERA against any NL West team. Giants who have notably owned Gray include Brandon Belt (12-for-30, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs), Brandon Crawford (8-for-23, HR, 7 RBIs) and as always Buster Posey (5-for-17, 1 RBI).
Today’s game could also include the MLB debut of Rockies prospect Colton Welker. Welker, a 2016 fourth round pick was called up earlier today, has slashed .286/.378/.476 in just under 100 at-bats for Triple-A Albuquerque this season. He of course began the year with an 80-game suspension for using banned substances. Before that, Welker was on the cusp of making the major league roster after he hit for a line of .362/.392/.553 in spring training. Welcome to the show Colton Welker!
First Pitch: 1:10 P.M. MDT
TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain; MLB.tv
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Lineups:
Series finale, let’s go
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 8, 2021
: @NBCSAuthentic
: @KNBR
: https://t.co/1v5WV60uTL#ResilientSF | @CocaCola pic.twitter.com/p1RapseP2G
In 1999, Larry Walker hit a walk-off homer vs the Braves wearing the iconic “Turn Ahead the Clock” futuristic jersey.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 8, 2021
Today, we honor Larry & this moment with our new graphics package pic.twitter.com/aSV11wfklY