MLB - San Francisco Giants

Solid pitching and timely hitting sounds more like San Francisco's recipe for success, but that is the formula fueling Colorado right now.

The Giants returned from a day off and hoped the rest might re-energize their listless offense. Instead, the mini slump worsened, as they managed only five hits in a 5-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

SAN FRANCISCO – When Michael Cuddyer thinks back to missing the final two months of last season, a minimum 15-day stint on the disabled list hardly seemed like a long layoff.

The Michael Cuddyer Show rolled into town Friday night, stealing the spotlight from the Giants and Colorado Rockies in a battle of first-place teams.

When Michael Cuddyer thinks back to missing the final two months last season, a minimum 15-day stint on the disabled list hardly seemed like a long layoff.

Michael Cuddyer, in his first game off the disabled list, hit a solo home run and drove in three to back six strong innings from Tyler Chatwood as the Colorado Rockies took a 5-0 win over the San Francisco Giants to open a three-game set.

Three's a crowd atop the NL West standings, but the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants will both try to change that as they meet up Friday at AT&T for the opener of a three-game series.

For years, Giants baseball has been associated mostly with one characteristic. Sure, Buster Posey is now one of the game's best players, and the lineup is very deep. But ask anyone in baseball why the Giants have won two of the past three titles and you'll get the same answer.

SAN FRANCISCO – For the first time in weeks, all manager Bruce Bochy had to do after a Giants defeat was tip his famously large cap. Bochy wasn't asked to try to explain away errors after a series-ending loss to the Washington Nationals and, most importantly, he didn't have to discuss an awful starting pitching performance.

SAN FRANCISCO – Madison Bumgarner was cruising until the sixth inning Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO – Sometimes a simple weekday ballgame turns into something greater, as it did Wednesday when a superlative talent almost single-handedly beat the Giants and proved not all ballplayers are created equally.

SAN FRANCISCO - Before this three-game series between National League powers, Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper took to Twitter to express his excitement about facing the Giants in a ballpark that he called one of his favorite places to play.