[ad_1]
The Rockies have a Giants problem and they don’t seem to have any solutions.
The Rockies struck out 16 times in an 8-5 loss Monday night at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. In their last 20 games vs. the Giants, the Rockies are 4-16, including eight consecutive losses. The Giants have at least 10 hits in each of those eight victories.
Colorado used doubles by Elias Diaz, Jose Iglesias and Garrett Hampson, and an RBI single by Connor Joe, to score three times in the ninth off former Rockies lefty Jake McGee. But it was too little, too late.
And pardon the obvious, but the Rockies have fallen back into their seasonal road funk. Monday’s loss was their seventh in their last eight games away from Coors Field.
Although the Rockies rapped six singles off lefty Carlos Rodon in his six innings, he tied a season-high with 12 strikeouts. Using a 97-98 mph fastball, he dominated the heart of Colorado’s order, striking out No. 3 hitter Randal Grichuk three times, and doing the same things to cleanup hitter C.J. Cron.
Ryan McMahon also fanned three times, but just once against Rodon.
Still, the Rockies were in Monday’s game, if ever so briefly.
In the fifth, Yonathan Daza, who started in left field and hit second, lashed a bases-loaded, broken-bat, two-run single off Rodon, trimming the Giants’ lead to 3-2. Daza has reached base safely in each of his 10 starts and is hitting .324 (12 for 37) when he’s in the starting lineup.
San Francisco iced the game with a three-run sixth, roughing up both starter Austin Gomber and reliever Robert Stephenson while taking advantage of sloppy Colorado baseball.
Dubon led off with a single off Gomber and Wilmer Flores followed up with another single. Gomber’s night was done.
Darin Ruf’s single off Stephenson scored Dubon, then Stephenson uncorked a wild pitch, catcher Elias Diaz threw wildly into left field, Brandon Crawford walked and Joc Pederson hit a sacrifice fly. When all was said and done, the Giants scored four runs, extending their lead to 6-2.
They made it 8-2 with a two-run eighth off Rockies right-hander Ashton Goudeau.
Gomber, who has not pitched well in the City by the Bay, got off to a rocky start. Austin Slater led off the Giants’ first with a triple off the center-field wall and scored on Mauricio Dubon’s sacrifice fly.
The San Francisco duo struck again in the third, with Slater rapping a one-out single, setting up Dubon’s two-run, no-doubt homer to center to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.
Gomber, at least, managed to pitch into the sixth inning. He was charged with five runs on five hits, with three strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings. In four career starts at Oracle Park, Gomber is 0-4 with a 10.91 ERA.
On Deck
Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (2-1, 3.75 ERA) at Giants LHP Alex Wood (2-2, 4.38)
7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oracle Park
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Senzatela has become a pretty reliable starter, although he has a case of hiccups now and again. He’s pitched six or more innings in 16 of his last 21 starts, going 2-6 with a 3.98 ERA, yielding six home runs, striking out 83 and walking only 21. In his last start, the right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits across 4 2/3 against the Nationals in Colorado’s 9-7 victory. Senzatela is 5-1 with a 4.24 ERA in 10 career appearances (eight starts) against the Giants. He faced the Giants only once last season, allowing two runs over six innings.
Wood is coming off a tough loss against the Dodgers, his former team. He allowed three runs on four hits and walked two while fanning seven over 5 1/3 innings. Los Angeles tagged Wood for two runs in the fourth and Mookie Betts blasted a solo homer in the sixth. Wood has faced the Rockies 19 times, with 16 starts, posting a 6-3 record but a 5.67 ERA. The Rockies have done most of their damage against Wood at Coors Field, where he owns an 8.50 ERA in 10 games (nine starts).
Trending: Entering Monday’s game, Rockies starters had gone 4-3 with eight quality starts and a 3.26 ERA over their last 10 games. Rockies starters had made 11 quality starts this season, the fifth-most in the majors and third-most in the National League.
At issue: The Rockies’ seasonal road drought is already setting in. Entering Monday night’s game at San Francisco, the only runs the Rockies had scored in their last 26 innings came on a four-run rally in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night in their 4-1 victory at Arizona.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: RHP Chad Kuhl (3-0, 1.82) at Giants RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 4.80), 1:45 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Off day
[ad_2]
Source link