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Four Game Series Sweep – Giants past Rockies
Solano’s Tie-Breaking Homer – Giants past Rockies 11-8 and Sweep
San Francisco Giants’ Donovan Solano celebrates his home-run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez in the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 17, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
2019.07.17 – Donovan Solano had four hits, including a tie-breaking home run, Stephen Vogt homered and doubled, and San Francisco past the Colorado Rockies 11-8 on a four-game series sweep.
“Your bench play is such a critical role in your season,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Playing a day game after a night game that followed a doubleheader on Monday, Bochy started Solano in place of Brandon Crawford and Vogt started at catcher in place of Buster Posey.
“Those are two guys there that can’t be replaced, but for us to go in there on a tough day game, on a hot day, and to be able to contribute the way we did, when those two guys are on the bench, that’s our job,” Vogt said. “That’s why we’re here, to give those guys a break and do everything we can to help this team win when it’s our turn to play.”
Solano mirrored Vogt’s sentiments.
“It’s gratifying to have a great day, especially when you’re giving a player like Brandon Crawford a day off,” Solano said through Erwin Higueros – Giants’ interpreter. “But at the same time, that’s what you want to do when you get an opportunity to play, you want to show that you belong.”
2019.07.17 (San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies) See video
2019.07.17 (San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies) See video
Pablo Sandoval sparked a three-run first inning with a two-run double and Brandon Belt had an RBI single among his three hits for the surging Giants.
San Francisco has won five straight and 12 of their last 14. The run has tamped down, at least for now, talk about the Giants in decline and speculation that the team is preparing to trade away some of its stars to begin a rebuild.
“It’s a lot of fun when everybody wrote you off before the season started and even still, it’s how long is this going to last,” Vogt said. “But I can say the attitude in this room is, ‘Let’s win today.’ We feel good about this group. Who knows what’s going to happen over the next couple of weeks. That’s out of our control. All we can control is to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Trevor Story and Ryan McMahon homered for the Rockies, losers of four straight and 11 of their last 13.
San Francisco broke through for five runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Two of the three runs the Giants scored in the eighth were unearned after center fielder Garrett Hampson, who came on in the top of the third for injured David Dahl, failed to handle Joe Panik’s fly ball for an error. Dahl fouled a pitch off his left foot in the first inning and was removed in the second.
The Rockies got three runs in their final at-bat, including a two-out, two-run homer by Story. Mark Melancon relieved Andrew Suraez and got Nolan Arenado to fly out to center for the game’s final out and his first save of the season.
It was the first-four game sweep by the Giants in Colorado since Sept. 15-18, 2011.
“Not a lot of satisfaction here from the home-stand,” Story said. “We are all trying to deal with this as best we can. This wasn’t our team. We are much better than the way we showed.”
Solano broke a 5-5 tie when he homered off Jon Gray (9-7) to start the Giants’ sixth.
The Giants jumped on Gray for three first-inning runs, two of them scoring on a double by Sandoval. Colorado went in front 4-3 on McMahon’s two-run homer off Shaun Anderson in the Rockies’ fourth, a short-lived lead that was erased by Vogt’s two-run drive off Gray in the fifth.
Story tripled to start the Rockies’ fifth and scored one out later on by a single by Arenado.
Anderson, in his first career start at Coors Field, went 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits.
Gray went 5 1/3 innings and allowed 11 hits and six runs. He walked three and struck out three.
Derek Holland (2-4) picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: OF David Dahl left the game in third inning after fouling a pitch off the top of his left foot during his first-inning at bat. He is listed as day to day with a bruised left foot. Garrett Hampson replaced him in center field. … INF Brendan Rodgers was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL a day after undergoing surgery to repair a Labral tear in his right shoulder. He is likely out for the rest of the season. … LHP Harrison Musgrave (left elbow flexor strain) was reinstated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (5-7, 3.86 ERA) is set to pitch Thursday night’s series opener in San Francisco against the New York Mets, the only NL team that has not put a loss on Bumgarner’s record.
Rockies: Following an off day, the Rockies open a season-long 10-game road with an inter-league series against the New York Yankees that opens Friday night with LHP Kyle Freeland (2-6) slated to start the opener.
Read more at: San Francisco Giants Media Services / More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco Giants, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Dickerson hits go-ahead RBI single – Giants beat Rockies 8-4
San Francisco Giants’ Alex Dickerson, right, jokes with first base coach Jose Alguacil after driving in the go-ahead run with a single off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Wade Davis during the 10th inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
2019.07.16 – Alex Dickerson had a career-high four hits, including the go-ahead RBI single in San Francisco’s four-run 10th inning as the Giants recovered from giving up a three-run lead in the ninth to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-4 at Coors Field.
Mike Yastrzemski homered and doubled among his three hits and had three RBIs to help the Giants win their fourth straight and seventh in the last eight.
Newcomers Dickerson and Yastrzemski are making their presence felt during the San Francisco Giants’ surprising mid-season surge.
“You could put (Austin) Slater in there,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “They have all really been a lift for this club offensively and they’re really doing a good job on defense, too. I’m proud of them. This is a tough road trip.”
Yastrzemski was brought up in late May and Dickerson has been with the Giants since mid-June after being acquired from San Diego. Slater joined the team July 1 and already has a pinch-hit grand slam.
2019.07.16 (San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies) See video
2019.07.16 (San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies) See video
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Dickerson, who is batting .400 (24 for 60) in his 19 games with the Giants. “I’ve actually never really hit well here, this is a first for me. I’m seeing good pitches to hit, I mean, (Brandon) Crawford is hitting behind me and he annihilated them (Monday), so I knew I was going to see some good pitches to hit.”
Trevor Story and Ian Desmond homered for the Rockies, who have lost 10 of 12.
Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, Colorado rallied against Giants closer Will Smith (3-0). Story connected for his 21st home run to start the inning. One out later, Daniel Murphy singled and Desmond followed with a drive that reached the center-field seats to tie it. It was the second blown save for Smith in his last three chances after converting 23 straight to start the season.
But the Giants answered against Rockies closer Wade Davis (1-4) in the top of the 10th. He issued two one-out walks before Dickerson singled to right as the Giants regained the lead. Brandon Crawford followed with an RBI single and Bryan Shaw relieved Davis. Yastrzemski singled to drive in another run before the Giants scored an unearned run on third baseman Nolan Arenado’s fielding error.
Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless 10th for the Giants.
Desmond said he and Murphy were motivated going into their at bats after seeing Story connect and even though the rally went for naught he’s hopeful it will return dividends in the long run.
“We both looked at each other and I said, ‘Hey man, you think a couple of old guys can fight a little bit harder.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, let’s go out and fight’ em,′ and we were able to tie it up there. Unfortunately, we came up short but that grit is going to pay off in the end.”
The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Dickerson led off with a single and scored one out later on Yastrzemski’s double. Yastrzemski came home on Joe Panik’s single.
The Rockies cut the deficit in half when Garrett Hampson walked, advance to third on Charlie Blackmon’s single and scored on Stry’s fielder’s choice grounder.
Dickerson’s RBI single in the eighth made it 3-1 and Yastrzemski’s homer off Chad Bettis in the ninth put the Giants up by three runs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto is expected to begin throwing in rehab games in Arizona during the first week of August, said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Cueto is on the 60-day injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery last Aug. 2. The Giants and Cueto are hopeful he’ll return to the mound before the end of this season. … 3B Evan Longoria, placed on the 10-day injured list because of left foot plantar fasciitis on Sunday, is expected to be re-evauated by team doctors after the club returns home Wednesday evening from its seven-game road trip.
Rockies: INF Brendan Rodgers underwent surgery earlier Tuesday to repair a Labral tear of the right shoulder and is likely out for the rest of the season. Rodgers has been on the 10-day injured list with a shoulder injury since late June. … Also, manager Bud Black said RHP Seunghwan Oh was going undergo arthroscopic surgery to clean out some loose bodies in his right elbow. Oh has been on the IL since early June.
WHAT A CATCH
Giants center fieder Kevin Pillar took away extra bases from pinch-hitter Tony Wolters in the bottom of the eighth inning with a spectactular diving catch. Wolters, leading off the inning, sliced a sinking liner to center. Pillar, playing back, made for the ball on a dead run and then dove for it, snaring the ball as he tumbled on the ground and then holding his glove up for the umpire to see that he had made a clean catch. He made another diving catch in the bottom of the 10th, taking away a base hit from Story.
MAKING A MOVE
RHP Sam Coonrod, who served as the 26th man for the Giants during Monday’s doubleheader, was sent back to Triple-A Sacramento. In addition, the Giants optioned Dereck Rodriguez, who got the win in the nightcap, to Sacramento and recalled LHP Andrew Suarez from their top farm club.
UP NEXT
Giants: Rookie RHP Shaun Anderson (3-2, 4.48 ERA) will start in Coors Field for the first time while making his 12th career start.
Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (9-6, 3.83 ERA) has gone 4-1 with a 3.26 ERA in eight starts at home this season.
Read more at: San Francisco Giants Media Services / More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco Giants, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Crawford’s 2 HRs & 8 RBIs – Giants rout Rockies 19-2
San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford heads up the first base line after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jesus Tinoco in the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 15, 2019, in Denver.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski
2019.07.15 – Brandon Crawford homered three times and drove in nine runs over the course of two games Monday, and the San Francisco Giants rout 19-2 the Colorado Rockies day show and 2-1 in the nightcap to complete a sweep of a split doubleheader.
Crawford capped a big day at the plate with a defensive gem. He finished off the offensive display with some sparkling glove work, making a diving stop of Nolan Arenado’s ninth-inning grounder and flipping the ball to second baseman Donovan Solano for a force out to help seal the Game 2 victory.
“He saved us with that play,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “That ball gets through, it’s first and third and (closer Will Smith) is in a tough spot there. Game-saving play. And to do that in the ninth inning of the second game, that’s impressive.”
Crawford followed Stephen Vogt’s homer off Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-2) leading off the fourth with one of his own. It was the second time on the day he was part of a back to back set.
In the first game, Crawford went 5 for 6 with two homers and tied a San Francisco team record with eight RBIs as the Giants scored a season high in runs in a 19-2 rout of the Rockies.
2019.07.15 (San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies) See video
2019.07.15 (San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies) See video
“I have been feeling a lot better at the plate,” Crawford said after the first game. “There were a couple of at-bats in Milwaukee where I was having good at-bats, kind of battling and getting deep into counts. Even drawing walks kind of helps your confidence going forward. I’ve been feeling good, seeing the ball well. You expect to get hits when that happens.”
Dereck Rodriguez (4-5), recalled from Triple-A Sacramento prior to the second game, pitched five innings and allowed one run on four hits. He struck out six and walked none and kept the Rockies in the yard during his outing. The Giants got four innings of scoreless relief, capped by Will Smith, who got three outs for his 24th save.
Gonzalez, who was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque prior to the second game, went five innings and allowed five hits, including the successive homers to Vogt and Crawford.
Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski went back to back in the first inning of the first game, which was a makeup for a May 8 rain-out.
Garrett Hampson, the fleet infielder who pulled off the rare feat of scoring from second base on an infield ground-out in a Rockies’ win over Cincinnati on Sunday, was twice tagged out on the base-paths in Monday’s nightcap. He reached on an error in the third inning and after right fielder Austin Slater dropped Charlie Blackmon’s fly ball for an error, Hampson made a dash for home but slipped and fell rounding third. He tried to scramble back to third but was tagged out by Pablo Sandoval.
In the fifth, Hampson doubled in the Rockies’ only run but tried to stretch the hit into a triple. Initially called safe, a replay review showed Sandoval got the tag down before his hand hit the bag.
“We end up making some outs on the base-paths with ’Hamp,” the Rockies Daniel Murphy said. “They weren’t foolish mistakes. He slipped on the one and then makes a pretty good decision right there to go to third base and they made a couple of good plays on him. In reality we didn’t score a lot of runs but if he doesn’t get popped on the bases twice it’s probably a different game. But we’ve got to swing the bat better, myself included.”
Yastrzemski went 4 for 6 with a homer and Buster Posey also went deep for San Francisco in the first game in which the Rockies allowed the most runs ever in a game against the Giants, an NL West rival.
Preserving his bullpen in the one-sided slug fest earlier, Rockies manager Bud Black inserted first baseman Mark Reynolds to pitch the ninth. Reynolds allowed two runs and two hits. It was the third time in Rockies history that a position player had been used as a pitcher.
Jeff Samardzija (7-7), who had allowed 17 runs in 12 1/3 innings in losing his three previous starts at Colorado, didn’t give up a run until pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia homered to straightaway center with two outs in the sixth inning. Ryan McMahon homered in the seventh for the Rockies’ other run.
Samardzija retired the first six batters he faced and finished with nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs and four hits.
German Marquez (8-5), who won both of his previous starts against the Giants in San Francisco this season, allowed a career-high 11 runs on 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Crawford added an RBI single in the fourth, a two-run drive off Jesus Tinoco in the sixth and a two-run single in the ninth off Reynolds. Tinoco was optioned to Triple A Albuquerque after the game to make roster room for Gonzalez.
Others in the San Francisco era with eight RBIs in a game are Willie Mays on April 30, 1961, and Orlando Cepeda on July 4, 1961.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: 3B Evan Longoria was placed on the 10-day injured list because of left foot plantar fasciitis. His roster spot was filled by the recall of RHP Ray Black from Triple A-Sacramento. Longoria was lifted from Sunday’s game at Milwaukee in the fifth inning because of left foot soreness.
UP NEXT
Giants: The team announced after the second game that RHP Drew Pomeranz (2-9, 6.42 ERA) would start Tuesday night’s game here.
Rockies: Rookie RHP Peter Lambert (2-1, 6.67 ERA) will look to rebound after taking his first career loss last time out when he allowed four runs on five hits in five innings in a July 3 setback to Houston.
Read more at: San Francisco Giants Media Services / More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco Giants, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
49ERS FIT – Free 4-Day Pass
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.