Rockies Nearly Give Up Lead, Beat Giants 10-9
DENVER (The Sports Xchange) - Raimel Tapia stroked a walk-off single to right field with one out in the ninth inning Thursday night, giving the Colorado Rockies a 10-9 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Mark Reynolds led off the ninth with a single against Hunter Strickland (1-2). Ian Desmond fouled out. Pinch hitter Carlos Gonzalez walked on four pitches, setting the stage for Tapia, who went 2-for-5 with two RBIs after going 4-for-4 on Wednesday.
The Rockies, who are 10-2 in one-run games, led 8-1 after three innings -- a lead that vanished when the Giants packed eight runs into the seventh, eighth and ninth.
The loss was the 12th in 16 games for the Giants, who are a season-high 16 games below .500.
The Rockies inflicted most of their damage on starter Matt Moore, whose limited history at Coors Field has been dreadful.
DJ LeMahieu had his sixth career four-hit game, scored three runs and drove in two. Nolan Arenado hit three doubles and drove in four runs.
After the Giants erupted for five runs in the eighth to make it a one-run game, closer Greg Holland (1-0) came on in the ninth and blew a save for the first time this season. He gave up a leadoff single to Austin Slater, who went 4-for-5, but struck out Nick Hundley. Denard Span lined a single to center, sending Slater to third. Span took second on a wild pitch, causing the Rockies to draw in their infield. Slater scored on Gorkys Hernandez's sacrifice fly, just beating center fielder Charlie Blackmon's throw and giving Holland his first blown save in 24 opportunities.
Span stole third but was thrown out at home when he tried to advance on a ball that got away from catcher Tom Murphy. The play was reviewed, and the call was upheld.
Moore gave up a season-high 11 hits and eight runs in three innings, his shortest start of the season, but he did pile up seven strikeouts, all swinging. In four starts at Coors Field, Moore is 0-3 with a 14.73 ERA and has yielded 32 hits in 14 2/3 innings.
The Rockies pounced on Moore for three runs in the first, beginning with five straight hits. A run scored on Arenado's double, and Reynolds singled him home.
Arenado doubled home two more runs in the second. He scored on a double by Ian Desmond, who crossed the plate on Tapia's two-out single.
Charlie Blackmon tripled home a run in the third to make it 8-1. He leads the majors with nine triples, tying his career-high set two years ago.
The big lead was a boon to Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman, who needed a career-high 103 pitches to weave his way through five innings. He gave up one run and seven hits.
Arenado doubled home a run in the sixth, but Buster Posey cut the lead to 9-3 with a two-run homer in the seventh off Scott Oberg. The homer was Posey's ninth and just his second since May 15. Hundley homered in San Francisco's five-run eighth when pitcher Ty Blach delivered a run-scoring, pinch-hit single to trim the deficit to 9-5.
Jake McGee came on with two outs and runners at first and second and gave up a three-run homer to Brandon Crawford that made it a one-run game and ended McGee's scoreless streak at 14 innings. It was the first time the Giants, who are last in the majors with 52 home runs, hit three in a game since May 22 at the Chicago Cubs.
NOTES: Rockies C Tom Murphy (broken right forearm) was reinstated from the DL and made his 2017 debut. C Ryan Hanigan was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Rockies RHP Jon Gray (left foot stress fracture) is scheduled to throw 75-80 pitches in his second rehab start Monday for Albuquerque at Sacramento. ... Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (left knee inflammation) is scheduled to throw about 75 pitches in his first rehab start Sunday for Albuquerque at Sacramento. ... Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (bruised ribs, left shoulder strain) is scheduled to throw to hitters Sunday for the first time since he was injured April 20. ... Giants 3B Eduardo Nunez extended his on-base streak to 29 games with a single in the seventh but then left the game with left hamstring tightness. ... Giants C Buster Posey left the game with right ankle soreness in the seventh.
