Giants going for rare 4-game sweep in Denver

The San Francisco Giants will attempt to complete their first four-game road sweep over the Colorado Rockies since 2011 when the clubs, who are tied for third place in the National League West, meet on Wednesday afternoon.

The first three games of the series, all Giants wins, have included a blowout, a pitchers' duel and a 10-inning affair Tuesday night that was a little of both.

The Giants appeared on their way to a third win in two days before the Rockies rallied for three in the ninth against All-Star Will Smith, only to see their own closer, Wade Davis, serve up a four-run 10th in an 8-4 defeat.

Eight of the game's 12 runs were scored in the last two innings.

The Giants' 2-1 win in the second game of Monday's doubleheader and the first eight innings Tuesday, after which the visitors led 3-1, were what could be expected from two teams each missing a key piece of their offenses.

The Giants had to pull hot-hitting third baseman Evan Longoria during Sunday's 8-3 win at Milwaukee. He was diagnosed Tuesday with a strained plantar fascia in his left foot and was placed on the injured list.

Longoria told reporters Tuesday that he expects to be out up to a month.

"I've never had anything like this," he declared. "I haven't seen our hand-and-foot specialist yet, and he's looked at the MRI and scans, but he hasn't put his hands on it. So once we get back home (on Thursday), he can kind of give his own diagnosis to me and see where we are then."

Longoria, who was wearing a walking boot Tuesday, has hit safely in his last nine starts. Counting a pinch-hit appearance last week against St. Louis, he's hit .382 in his last 10 games with six home runs and 13 RBI.

Longoria was replaced at third base on Tuesday by Pablo Sandoval, who drew a walk off Davis in the 10th inning to help set up the winning uprising.

The Rockies, meanwhile, got bad news of their own on Tuesday when one of their brightest prospects, second baseman Brendan Rodgers, elected to undergo surgery for a torn right labrum that will end his season.

The 22-year-old former first-round pick was hitting .224 after beginning his career with a .324 month of May.

Rodgers went to Instagram on Tuesday to express his thoughts.

"Feeling pain today so I can feel strength tomorrow," he posted. "Ready to turn this into my greatest comeback yet. See you in 2020."

The pitchers who could benefit from the offensive absences in the series finale will be Giants right-hander Shaun Anderson (3-2, 4.48 ERA) and Rockies righty Jon Gray (9-6, 3.83).

Anderson, a rookie, has never faced the Rockies, but he is already quite familiar with pitching on the road. Six of his last eight starts have been on the road, a stretch during which he's gone 3-1 with a 4.37 ERA.

Gray has pitched brilliantly against the Giants this season, allowing just one run and nine hits in 12 2/3 innings. He was the hard-luck, 1-0 loser on April 11, before pitching six shutout innings in a 2-0 win on June 24.

Both of those outings were in San Francisco.

For his career, Gray has made eight starts against the Giants and gone 1/3 with a 4.38 ERA.

--Field Level Media