Colorado right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez is a sizzling 14-1 with a 1.83 ERA.
Though the Colorado Rockies have underperformed though the first half of the season, they are just four games out of first place in the National League West and just four games out of having the best record in the league.
Colorado is a team that could find its stride and make a serious run at its first ever division championship, even without sidelined All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
The Rockies rank ninth in the majors in home runs and 15th in batting average but have stayed in contention thanks to a pitching staff that has the sixth-best ERA in baseball.
MLB guaranteed picks
Ubaldo Jimenez (14-1, 1.83), the ace of Colorado's staff, will take the bump Saturday night at Coors Field against San Francisco. He hopes to bounce back after two straight sub-par starts and keep division rivals San Francisco on the skids.
The Giants began a season-long 11-game trip Thursday night in Colorado by extending their losing streak to six games during a 7-3 setback.
San Francisco's spiffy starting staff was supposed to immunize it from long losing streaks, but the pitching has become far too ordinary for a team that went five consecutive games without scoring three runs until reaching that milestone in the opener.
Pushing runs across the plate Saturday against Jimenez, who is 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA at Coors Field this season, will be a tall order. The Cy Young Award favorite has slowed a bit after keeping his ERA under 1.00 though June 6.
Jimenez has been touched for 10 runs in 11 2/3 innings in his last two outings, starting strong before falling behind hitters in the middle innings. The hard-throwing right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in his last start against San Diego at Petco Park, but he allowed four hits in that frame and also walked four, while whiffing seven.
Veteran southpaw Barry Zito (7-4, 3.43) faces the Rockies for the third time this season. He has won five of his last seven decisions against Colorado with a 1.95 ERA.
Zito limited the Rockies to two earned runs and five hits over eight innings at AT&T Park on April 30 en route to a 5-2 victory. He was a tough-luck 2-1 loser in the return match on June 1 despite yielding just one earned run and four hits in seven innings and fanning eight.
San Francisco had dropped seven of its past nine on the road heading into play Friday. The Giants had also flunked 18 of their last 26 division tests, including their last four. They have come out on top in 21 of 28 versus a starter with a WHIP of less than 1.15.
Jimenez had San Francisco eating out of his hand on May 31, tossing a complete-game four-hit shutout and notching nine strikeouts. The 4-0 victory evened his career record at 4-4 against the Giants and lowered his ERA to 2.79.
Colorado has thrived against southpaws, cashing 25 of 34 at home and seven of 10 overall. The Rockies have also won six of seven at home versus teams on the plus side of the ledger and seven of nine when toiling on Saturday.
Colorado has won five of seven against the Giants this season and prevailed in the last four clashes in Denver.
Zito has ended on the low side at an 8-3-1 clip when facing Colorado, while Jimenez boasts the same mark versus San Francisco.
The Rockies have knuckled ‘under' in 10 of 14 versus lefties, including six of eight at home.
Seven of the last eight encounters in Colorado have strayed below the ‘total.'