Bad stuff happens to the Rockies in San Francisco.
Case in point: In the sixth inning of Sunday afternoon’s game at Oracle Park, Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon tagged Derek Hill for what should have been the third out. Instead, the impact of the tag dislodged the ball from McMahon’s glove.
McMahon’s error loaded the bases, and Matt Chapman delivered a two-run single on Noah Davis’s next pitch to put San Francisco ahead, 5-2.
The Giants held on to win the game, 5-4, swept the four-game series and beat the Rockies for the 12th consecutive time at Oracle Park. That ties the franchise record for the most consecutive losses at a visiting ballpark. Colorado also lost 12 straight at Dodger Stadium (July 1, 2018 to Sept. 20, 2019) and Busch Stadium III (Aug. 1, 2018 to Aug. 18, 2022).
Also, hot-hitting Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle, who has a chance to be the National League player of the month, left the game in the third inning. After the game, manager Bud Black said Doyle injured the tip of a finger in a “freak accident” and said he took Doyle out of the game as a precaution. Doyle told reporters after the game that he has a bruise on his right index finger.
During the course of the four-game series, the Rockies struck out 53 times, including 11 times on Sunday. The Rockies scored only nine runs in the series.
“Today, I thought, we had better at-bats against their bullpen,” Black told reporters in San Francisco. “We didn’t quite get there. But all in all, our offense took a little bit of a downturn here.
“Which was surprising, and frustrating at the same time, coming off the (4-2) homestand, especially the 20-run game on Wednesday (against Boston). We had a lot of confidence coming in here. We just didn’t hit. We didn’t hit enough.”
At least the Rockies didn’t go down as meekly as they did in the series’ first three games. Michael Toglia hit a solo homer off Jordan Hicks in the seventh. Toglia’s team-leading 18th homer cut the lead to 5-3.
Colorado loaded the bases in the eighth but got nothing out of it. Ezequiel Tovar, who hit 3 for 5 and extended his hitting streak to 15 games, laced a one-out double. Then Hunter Goodman reached on an infield single and Ryan McMahon drew a two-out walk. But Brendan Rodgers grounded out to Chapman at third to kill the rally.
The Rockies scored one run in the ninth but ultimately came up short. Singles by Toglia and Jake Cave set the table for Jacob Stallings’ RBI groundout, but Giants closer Camilo Doval struck out Sam Hilliard and got Tovar to ground out to short to end the game.
Rockies starter Austin Gomber lasted just 3 2/3 innings and needed 85 pitches to get there. He gave up three runs on six hits, including a one-out homer to Casey Schmitt in the first.
Gomber had a rough second inning. With two outs, the Giants scored two runs on three consecutive extra-base hits: a double by Michael Conforto, an RBI triple by Hill and an RBI double by Jorge Soler.
“The Giants had a real patient approach,” Black said. “They laid off some real borderline pitches against ‘Gomby.’ His stuff was fine, but credit to them for their approach. They didn’t chase.”
Anatomy of a Sweep
The Giants swept a four-game series from the Rockies at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Rockies’ road offense was a no-show:
• Stuck out 53 times, the second-most in franchise history for a four-game series. The Rockies struck out 54 times during a four-game series vs. the Dodgers in 2015.
• Struck out 30 times in Saturday’s doubleheader, tied for the second-most in a doubleheader since 1906. The record is 31, held by two Phillies teams — against the Mets on Oct. 2, 1965, and against the Pirates on Sept. 22, 1958.
• In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Rockies swung and missed 64 times. That was the most whiffs by any major league team on a single day since pitches were first tracked in 1988.
• Hit .175 in the series, with just two home runs, both by Michael Toglia.
• Were outscored 25-9.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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