The Giants woke up Monday morning to temperatures that were in the upper 30s in Denver and consistent rain. They won't have to play in it.
Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies was postponed and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon. The first game will start at 2:40 p.m. PST and the second one will begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first one. Both games will be seven innings.
The Giants didn't fare well in seven-inning games last year, the first season under the rule change, but manager Gabe Kapler couldn't help but smile when asked about Tuesday's doubleheader.
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"I was just talking to Ron Wotus about this, who is as traditional as they come," Kapler said. "We both kind of smiled and said it's just really nice that we're going to try to cover 14 innings instead of two nine-inning games tomorrow. A lot of that has to do with pitching.
"You don't want to blow through your entire bullpen over the course of two games and at least in seven innings you have the possibility of one or even both of your starters giving you five or six innings and you just end up covering a couple extra innings with your bullpen, and that reflects what a normal game might look like."
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The rule change will be particularly helpful to a roster that's banged up right now. Second baseman Tommy La Stella is likely to go on the IL, and Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt have all missed time recently with minor aches. Coors Field is difficult on the body even in good weather because of the elevation, and Kapler was grateful that he had to plan for four fewer innings.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants will have Aaron Sanchez and Alex Wood on the mound in some order. They also should have reinforcements, with Jason Vosler a likely replacement for La Stella and an additional roster spot to work with during the doubleheader. Joey Bart, Kervin Castro, Conner Menez and Thairo Estrada are in Denver on the taxi squad and one likely will join the club for a day.