UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: Sunday's rainout was one way to slow Justin Maxwell's bat. The 31-year-old journeyman homered in each of the series' first two games and is hitting .308 with a 1.015 OPS in 39 at-bats.

Maxwell got this opportunity because Hunter Pence is hurt. Manager Bruce Bochy said he pla n s to keep playing Maxwell when Pence returns.

"There's no way you can take Maxwell out of the lineup right now," Bochy said. "I have to find a place to put him, the way he's been swinging."

On some days, that could be a simple proposition. If Angel Pagan needs a break, Maxwell plays left field and Nori Aoki goes to center.

But if Pence and Pagan both start, Maxwell could get a lot of starts meant for Aoki. In those games, Pagan would lead off.

Remember, though, a lot can happen with injuries and performance before Pence returns. None of this is set in stone.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

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Tim Lincecum, who was supposed to start Sunday, will pitch at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. Madison Bumgarner gets pushed back to Tuesday night, which means another showdown with Clayton Kershaw.

Bochy planned to di s cuss Wednesday and beyond with his coaches on the flight to Los Angeles. They could skip Ryan Vogelsong and advance Chris Heston a day to face the Dodgers.

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Bochy said that he would have preferred a game Sunday rather than a doubleheader next time through, but he was glad the Rockies called it early in the day rather than making the teams linger at the ballpark for hours.

There are many benefits to the rainout for the Giants.

The starting pitchers get an extra day of rest. Bochy noted that Pagan and Brandon Crawford could use the day off. Pagan was going to play (see the lineup below), but Crawford was going to be off, with Joaquin Arias at short.

Bochy plans to have Crawford start Monday night against lefty Brett Anderson.

The biggest benefit for the Giants is bullpen preservation ahead of the Dodgers series, but Bochy said the 'pen was in good shape thanks to Tim Hudson lasting seven innings in Saturday night's win.

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At some point, Brandon Belt is going to play some left field.

Bochy likes having Andrew Susac catch and Buster Posey at first base against lefty pitchers. That leaves Belt as the odd man out at a time when he's starting to swing the bat.

It's hard to leave Belt out of the lineup, but, as Bochy said, "It's hard with Susac, too, the way he's swinging. It's a tough one. That's why Belt is going to play left field. That's good. These guys are making it tough you you. You can't play them all out there. It's good to have these options."

ORIGINAL POST: It's been raining all morning in Denver, lightly, and it's frigid. Rain is forecast all afternoon, so the game has been called. Makeup date to come.

It stinks for the Rockies, because they brought all their 1995 heroes in town for the 20th anniversary of Coors Field. They will hold the celebration, probably in front of a very empty stadium.

The Giants benefit from the rainout, saving their bullpen ahead of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. It also pushes back their rotation, which means we'll get Madison Bumgarner vs. Clayton Kershaw again on Tuesday night!

Stay tuned for the latest info. Best way to get it quickly is to follow me @hankschulman.

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More on the Matt Duffy play that tied Saturday night's game 4-4 in the ninth.

There was a lot going on after the Rockies put runners on the corners with one out.

We talked to bench and infield coach Ron Wotus after the game. He said Duffy and Brandon Crawford were playing in what he called a shallow double-play configuration.

The idea is, if the ball is hit hard to either middle infielder, he can go home. If it's hit softly, the fielder has the option to try for a double play, which, in this case, would have ended the game.

What actually happened on Drew Stubbs' slow grounder to Duffy shows the value of experience. Duffy made a mistake by looking to home on a ball hit too slowly. That might have cost him any shot at the double play. By not throwing it, however, at leaset Duffy prevented the possibility of getting no outs, with the game tied and the Rockies with two on and one out - a recipe for a walkoff loss.

Now, the question is whether Duffy still had any shot at a double play. One replay, from behind the plate, suggests he might have had a shot at the 4-6-3 had he flipped quickly to Crawford. From the dugout, manager Bruce Bochy and Wotus felt that with Stubbs' speed, that was not likely.

Duffy ultimately ran toward the runner at first, D.J. LeMahieu, and tagged him out, then threw way too late to first trying to get Stubbs.

After the 5-4, 11-inning win, Wotus said Duffy should have run immediately toward LeMahieu and tagged him (hoping the runner would not have stopped to delay a tag), then threw to first.

In any case, it's easy to second-guess Duffy in hindsight. This is all happening in real time. Now, he has a lesson on which to draw the next time it happens.

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Today's lineup if the game HAD been played:

1. Aoki LF

2. Duffy 2B

3. Pagan CF

4. Posey 1B

5. Maxwell RF

6. Susac C

7. McGehee 3B

8. Arias SS

9. Lincecum P