Giants LHP Blach comes home to face Rockies

DENVER -- Left-hander Ty Blach will try to keep the Colorado Rockies from sweeping a four-game series when he starts Sunday for the San Francisco Giants.

It will be a poignant assignment for Blach, who was born and raised in Denver and made his major league debut at Coors Field last Sept. 5.

"It'll be a lot of fun," Blach said. "I'll have a lot of family and friends that are going to be around. Especially being able to do it on Father's Day, that'll be pretty special. I'll have my dad (Randy) here. So that'll be a pretty fun moment for me, for sure."

Blach said "close to a hundred if not more" family members and friends will be at Sunday's game.

Blach has thrown six scoreless innings against the Rockies in four career relief appearances. He began the season in the Giants' bullpen but went into their rotation in place of injured Madison Bumgarner, who suffered bruised ribs and a left shoulder sprain in an April 20 dirt bike accident when the Giants had an off day in Denver.

Blach (4-4, 4.24 ERA) gave up seven runs and 10 hits against Kansas City in 5 2/3 innings his last start Tuesday with one walk and four strikeouts in a deceptively bad-looking pitching line.

"It was the worst seven runs that a pitcher could give up," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He just got bad break after bad break and left the bases loaded and a flare scored three of those (runs). That was just horrible luck that he had. But he consistently gives us a chance to win.

"He really earned a spot in this rotation (to start the season), but because we didn't have room, he started the season in the bullpen. Unfortunately, because of Madison's accident, he did get back in the rotation and really has done just a beautiful job. The players love playing behind him with his tempo. And he's such a great guy -- everybody pulls for him."

Tyler Chatwood (6-7, 4.16) will start for the Rockies. Chatwood is 2-4 with a 7.03 ERA in six starts at Coors Field and 4-3 with a 2.41 ERA in eight road starts. He was not involved in the decision in his last start on Tuesday at Pittsburgh, where he allowed one run, six hits and one walk in six innings with five strikeouts in Colorado's 5-2 loss.

In Chatwood's past three starts, all on the road, he is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA.

In 13 career starts against the Giants, Chatwood is 7-3 with a 2.81 ERA. Six of those starts have been at Coors Field, where Chatwood is 3-2 with a 4.24 ERA.

Rockies rookie outfielder Raimel Tapia will likely be in the lineup again Sunday after going 2-for-5 on Saturday for his fourth straight multi-hit game and his fifth straight multi-hit game as a starter. In those five starts, Tapia is 12-for-22 (.545).

A leadoff hitter coming up through the minors, Tapia hit leadoff for the first time this season after hitting seventh five times and sixth in two games.

Tapia is in his third stint with the Rockies this season. He was hitless in his first 14 at-bats, a drought he ended June 10 at Wrigley Field when he started and went 2-for-4 against the Chicago Cubs.

"The early at-bats when he first came up, there was a little anxiousness, wanting to get a hit, not quite settled in," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "But now I think he's seeing the ball great. He's taking balls, swinging at strikes and he's seeing the ball great.

"He's taking balls, swinging at strikes and he's moving the ball around the field. I like the way he uses his hands. I like his pitch recognition now. I didn't see that from the early Tapia when he first came up."