For Rockies faithful, this game is better evaluated on the hit totals. San Francisco 10, Colorado 9.
This would suggest far different than a shutout that ensued at Coors Field this afternoon.
A valiant start by José Ureña, now holding a 2.12 ERA over his last three starts, was not enough for a lack of offense with runners in scoring position. Colorado went a combined 1-for-7 in those situations, leaving seven total runners on base.
The applause of the day belongs to the Giants pitching staff, capping off a shutout with a team of five arms that tossed no more than three innings a piece. Early traffic was evaded, walks were limited to one, and with only four strikeouts against 30 total hitters, the Giants carved their way through Coors Field in altitude-unlikely fashion.
Second, Fifth and Sixth: Colorado bats unable to capitalize
Michael Toglia gave the Rockies some early traffic in the third inning. His leadoff single was met with a fielder’s choice groundout and single by Alan Trejo, placing runners on the corners with one out.
A further walk to Sean Bouchard had the Rockies cooking. Bases were loaded, the Rockies trailed by one, and a single out was on the scoreboard.
Brian Serven ended the threat with a ground-ball double play. San Francisco reliever Taylor Rogers carved his way out of a jam.
Serven would later stake his claim on offense, lining a leadoff double in the fifth. Three consecutive flyouts would end the threat, however, stranding Serven on second.
An identical fate happened again in the sixth: Charlie Blackmon hit a leadoff two-bagger into the outfield but didn’t advance to even third base. San Francisco retained a 1-0 lead through six complete frames, despite some head-turning situations and higher-leverage at-bats.
Ureña evades damage, continues hot streak.
After a strong performance at Wrigley Field, José Ureña returned to the hill this afternoon. He was promptly greeted by a one-out double by Make Yastrzemski, and a passed ball furthered his early jam.
Joc Pederson cashed in the Giants’ first run of the afternoon with a two-out single, establishing an early advantage to the RISP figures. Ureña needed one more hitter to end the frame.
He then tossed three perfect innings, striking out four Giants in the process. Colorado trailed 0-1 at that point in the contest.
Ureña returned for a sixth inning of work and was struck by Yastrzemski again. A one-out homer pushed across the Giants’ second run of the contest, and Ureña’s climbing pitch count would then lead to some presumed fatigue. A single by Pederson and a walk to Brandon Crawford led to another two-out jam, this time with manager Bud Black making a call to the bullpen.
Ureña’s final line: 5 2⁄3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Justin Lawrence was first in relief, recording a pop-out in foul territory to end the threat.
(This game would have been far better for the Rockies without Pederson and Yastrzemski at the plate. They went a combined 5-for-8 with some big, contributing at-bats.)
Rockies bullpen sheds some (moderate) light
Lawrence would return for the seventh inning, posting a groundout, single and fielder’s choice to begin the frame. A single to center by LaMonte Wade Jr. would drive in the Giants’ third run of the contest; while Lawrence was able to save Ureña’s runs from scoring, he did allow one of his own.
Carlos Estévez had a low-leverage eighth but kept strong momentum, posting two early outs. A two-out walk was the lone blemish to an otherwise strong day.
Chad Smith was then tasked with the ninth, with Colorado still trailing 0-3. Low-leverage work wasn’t exactly his friend; a leadoff double by Jason Vosler pushed Smith into an early jam, but two quick strikeouts were ideal in answering back. A walk and wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, but a third and final strikeout by Smith ended the threat with zero runs scored.
It was far from a flawless day by the Rockies bullpen, but the final line looks far better than it otherwise could.
Daza, Toglia record multiple hits
Yonathan Daza and Michael Toglia ended the day going 2-for-4 with two singles each. Their hits were in lower-leverage situations, but they did serve as a mild bright spot in an otherwise-forgettable team showing on offense.
Up Next
Colorado opens a three-game set with the San Diego Padres on Friday night, a team very active in a wildcard hunt. Oakland-turned-San Diego pitcher Sean Manaea (7-9, 5.18 ERA) and his mint green glove will face off against Colorado’s Ryan Feltner (3-8, 6.05 ERA).
What is really up next: the MLB debut of infielder Ezequiel Tovar. Rockies fans have three opportunities to see him in Denver this year.
We’ve got three more baseball games at Coors Field remaining on the 2022 schedule. The Rockies will fire off some postgame fan appreciation fireworks on Friday night, while high temperatures are projected in the 80’s.
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