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Giants-Rockies game postponed by rain

DENVER >> The San Francisco Giants didn’t have to wait for this game to be called. Getting out of town was another matter.

Hey, planes aren’t easy to line up on a moment’s notice.

The afternoon game between the Giants and Colorado Rockies on Sunday was postponed by rain. A makeup date has yet to be determined. The Giants return to Denver May 22-24 for a three-game series.

The more pressing concern for Giants manager Bruce Bochy was figuring out his starting rotation heading into a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. For now, the tentative plan is to start right-hander Tim Lincecum on Monday, but Bochy reserves the right to change his mind after consulting with his coaches on the flight out of town.

“Sure, we would have liked to have gotten this one in,” Bochy said. “Doubleheaders put more pressure on your pitching staff. We are in a stretch now where we don’t get much time off.”

Right-hander Bill Swift’s arm was all warmed up and ready to throw out the ceremonial first pitch Sunday — a pitch he never got the chance to deliver.

The weather ruined the return of Swift, Larry Walker, Dante Bichette and the rest of the 1995 team who showed up to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Coors Field’s opening.

On April 26, 1995, Swift christened the new park with a sinker to New York Mets outfielder Brett Butler, who began the game with a single. This time, Swift was going with a straight fastball, just hoping to deliver a strike.

“It would’ve been fun to throw out the first pitch,” said Swift, who’s now the baseball coach at Arizona Christian University in Phoenix.

Swift and the rest of the Rockies vividly remember the first time they played in this park. They spent their inaugural two seasons at Mile High Stadium, before relocating to their new digs at 20th and Blake.

On that first night in their new park, it was 42 degrees at first pitch and the game went nearly five hours, with Bichette ending things with a three-run homer in the 14th for an 11-9 win.

“You didn’t feel (the cold) that day,” said Walker, who sent the game to extra innings with an RBI double in the ninth. “It could’ve been 30-below and I wouldn’t have felt the cold or the rain or nothing. It was just too big of a hype.”

If only the weather would’ve cooperated Sunday. The game was scrubbed about two hours before the scheduled start.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss was at least thankful officials postponed it early, rather than possibly warm up his starter and then have the game called.

“In a perfect world, on a day like this, when it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, you bang it sooner than later,” Weiss said.

Weiss had a chance to catch up with his former teammates this weekend. In that first game at Coors Field two decades ago, Weiss batted leadoff and singled to right.

“In the short time yesterday during batting practice, there were a lot of stories being thrown around,” Weiss said. “Embellished, of course.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: RHP Matt Cain is still set to play catch Tuesday, the next step in his rehabilitation of a flexor tendon strain.

Rockies: Weiss said OF Corey Dickerson is sore after fouling a pitch off his left leg Saturday. He wouldn’t have been in the starting lineup Sunday.

UP NEXT

Giants: Lincecum (1-1) is still in line to start Monday in Los Angeles.

Rockies: LHP Tyler Matzek (1-0) will start Monday in Arizona.

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