Giants' Jeff Samardzija: Picks up fourth loss Sunday

Samardzija (0-4) gave up seven runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings Sunday. He walked three and struck out six in an 8-0 loss to the Rockies.

Analysis:

Sunday's rough outing bumped Shark's ERA to 7.47 through four starts, a mark that is tough to palate for fantasy owners who drafted him as a steady middle-of-the-rotation starter. It isn't time to panic quite yet, as all four of his starts have come against the high-powered offenses of Colorado and Arizona. The silver lining behind his rough start to the season has been an uptick in strikeouts (11.2 K/9 compared to 7.4 K/9 last season). Look for Samardzija to get his season back on track when he takes on the Padres in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park on Friday.