AT&T Ballpark is typically a pitcher’s ballpark, and for the most part, that played out on Thursday night in the Rockies – Giants opening series.
Although, you might not know it from the 5-3 score, and the 16 combined hits, but this was a great display of pitching for both Colorado and San Francisco. Luckily for the Rockies, Carlos Gonzalez came through in the clutch, finding a way to work a long count into a single and send two runners home to win the game.
The Rockies scored their first three runs in the second inning and then went nearly 10 more innings before scoring again, allowing the Giants to tie the game up at 3-3 in the sixth. There the game sat, deadlocked, for another 5-plus innings until the Rockies went wild on a two-out rally in the 12th, with seagulls circling like something from an Alfred Hitchcock film.
Going back to the pitching, Chad Bettis pitched phenomenally for most of six innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs — two of which came on a home run — with five strikeouts. Bettis actually got offensive help early on in this game as the Colorado Rockies jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, but that’s where it ended for a long time.
Trevor Story singled and Ian Desmond walked with one out, and then Daniel Castro came through in the clutch, hitting a double to send them both home. Bettis gave himself some insurance when he singled to send Castro home, 3-0 Rockies early.
But, that was most of the Rockies’ offense on the night, unfortunately for Colorado.
Jeff Samardijiza pitched a near-equal game to Bettis, going 6.2 innings with five hits and three earned runs given up for the Giants.
For San Francisco’s offense, the bottom of the third produced their first run when Austin Jackson doubled and Samardijiza singled to move him over to third. Then, Gorky Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly for the Giants’ first run of the game.
In the bottom of the sixth, Brandon Belt belted one deep, off the top of the wall in right, and got to second, sending one run home. But, after review, it was decided his ball actually cleared the wall and was a home run. Just like that, the Giants and Rockies were tied 3-3 and Bettis was pulled from the game.
Luckily for the Rockies, their bullpen came through like it has most of the season. Bryan Shaw and Adam Ottavino combined for five strikeouts in the seventh and eighth innings to send the game into the ninth tied 3-3. The one batter who didn’t strikeout was Buster Posey, who hit a deep fly to center which Charlie Blackmon ran to, jumped and grabbed just before the wall.
Ottavino — who’s been the best reliever for the Rockies all year — came back in for the ninth inning, striking out his first opponent of the inning and even though he gave up a hit, ended the ninth without giving up a run.
Onto extra innings and free baseball.
In the 10th, Jake McGee continued that great pitching, disallowing a run, and onto the 11th we all went, after 11 p.m. MT. After a lead single in the 11th by Trevor Story, Ian Desmond hit into a double play and Tony Wolters grounded out to move onto the bottom of the inning.
Onto the 12th after Jake McGee pitched well again, retiring the side.
Once again, the Rockies hadn’t scored in 10 innings, more than an entire game, with only one run over the last 19 innings to that point. And yet, Chris Iannetta worked out a walk, Blackmon worked a walk and then Arenado walked to load the bases. Finally, the Rockies offense did something once again, as Gonzalez came through with the huge single to score two and win the game.
Wade Davis, the Rockies closer extraordinaire, finished off the game, though he did walk one.
For the Rockies, this was a huge win. They had lost six in eight games, despite some solid efforts from the pitching staff and less than adequate offense to say the least.
Colorado improves to 24-20 on the season, 1.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. They’re also 17-9 on the road now, which is third-best in the MLB.
Next up for the Rockies is Game 2 versus the Giants Friday night, with another 8:15 p.m. MT start.