Antonio Senzatela’s most important pitch came early.
Senzatela worked out of a first-inning jam en route to throwing seven scoreless innings in his first start of the season
Drew Stafford Jersey , Nolan Arenado hit his National League-leading 22nd home run and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 8-1 on Tuesday night.
Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon had three hits, including his first homer since June 20. Trevor Story had an RBI triple for the Rockies, who have won five of their last six games.
D.J. LeMahieu added a run-scoring double for Colorado, which has beaten the Giants in 14 of the past 16 games at Coors Field dating to Sept. 7, 2016.
Senzatela, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Albuquerque, struck out four and walked none while limiting the Giants to three hits but two of them came in the first inning. He got out of the two-on, two-out jam by retiring Pablo Sandoval, getting him to pop-out on a 2-0 changeup.
”To get out of that inning with a zero, stranding those runners, was huge,” Senzatela said through a translator. ”I settled down pretty nicely and I’m glad I gave the team a chance to win.”
Arenado said Senzatela’s ability to work out of first inning trouble helped set the tone for the rest of the game.
”Getting out of that first inning with no runs was huge,” Arenado said. ”I feel like sometimes we always give up a run in the first and lately they haven’t. He was just great, pounding the zone, throwing strikes getting ahead of guys. It was awesome. Our pitching in general lately has been huge for us and I think that’s why lately we have been playing better.”
Senzatela started in the spot vacated by struggling Jon Gray, who started for the Rockies in their season opener but was optioned to Albuquerque last weekend.
Senzatela (3-1) made the team out of spring training and began the season in the Rockies’ bullpen before being optioned on May 2 to Albuquerque, where he went 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA in eight starts prior to his recall. As a rookie last season
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Chris Stratton (8-6) went 5 2/3 innings and allowed eight runs on 11 hits, including Blackmon’s solo shot in the first inning as well as Arenado’s three-run drive.
”His fastball command wasn’t real sharp tonight,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ”Fastballs missed their spots there. That’s usually his forte, he commands it so well. He threw some good fastballs to Arenado and the changeup stayed in the middle. He wasn’t real sharp with his command. He threw strikes but he needed to work the edges.”
The Giants broke through for a run on Alec Hanson’s RBI single in the eighth off reliever MikeDunn.
The Giants were trailing 3-0 when Arenado broke the game open in the fifth with a three-run homer. Stratton walked LeMahieu to start the inning and Blackmon singled before Arenado drove a 3-2 offering over the left-center field wall.
GIANTS NEMESIS
Arenado has driven in 90 runs in 100 career games against the Giants, the second most among active players. Matt Kemp leads with 93 career RBIs against the Giants. Said Arenado: ”I think they bring out the best in all of us. They bring out the best in me – three World Series rings and they’ve always been one of the top tier teams in our division. It’s always a tough place to play and I always want to beat them because I always feel like they’ve beaten us in the past, a lot.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: The team’s starting rotation is nearing full strength again. Manager Bruce Bochy said that RHP Johnny Cueto is slated to be reinstated from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday, when he’s scheduled to start against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cueto was placed on the DL, retroactive to April 29, because of a right elbow sprain. RHP Jeff Samardzija is slated to start Saturday’s game against St. Louis after being reinstated from the 10-day DL. Samardzija went on the DL after leaving a May 30 start against Colorado following one inning due to tightness in his pitching shoulder.
Rockies: RHP Chad Bettis has gone on the 10-day disabled list with a blister on his right middle finger. Bettis left his last start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers after three innings because of the finger injury. Senzatela was recalled from Albuquerque to fill Bettis’ roster spot and started Tuesday against the Giants in the place of RHP Jon Gray, who was optioned Saturday to Albuquerque.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Andrew Suarez (3-4, 4.18 ERA) is coming off a strong outing in which he allowed one run on seven hits over six innings in a 2-1 win against Arizona.
Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (5-3, 4.23 ERA) has gone 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA in eight previous starts at Coors Field this season.
Gorkys Hernandez is hitting for power, grinding through long at-bats and moving baserunners with timely bunts – and his teammates are taking notice.
Hernandez drew a go-ahead, bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning after his earlier solo home run, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Tuesday night.
”We’re going to be talking about him for a while,” Giants starter Derek Holland said of Hernandez. ”He’s been doing outstanding this year
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Tom Murphy doubled to start the ninth for the Rockies on a hit that sliding Hernandez couldn’t secure in center field, and the ball kicked back toward the infield. San Francisco left third base uncovered, but despite base coach Stu Cole wildly gesturing, Murphy never looked up and stopped at second. DJ LeMahieu wound up grounding into a game-ending double play that was confirmed on replay.
”There’s a lot of chaos going on at that point. Rarely do you see that type of situation occur where you have three guys covering second base,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. ”Pitcher, third baseman, first baseman end up going over there.”
Tony Watson (2-2) recorded the final out of the eighth before Sam Dyson closed out Colorado for his third save.
The Giants loaded the bases in the eighth against Adam Ottavino (3-1), whose scoreless streak ended at 15 innings with his first run allowed since May 8 at home against the Angels.
Andrew McCutchen had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh inning before the Rockies tied it at 2 on Ian Desmond’s two-out double in the eighth off Mark Melancon.
Austin Slater and pinch-hitter Hunter Pence had consecutive singles to start the seventh before advancing on a sacrifice bunt by Hernandez, who homered to tie it in the third. Rockies starter Chad Bettis intentionally walked Buster Posey to load the bases for McCutchen, and Ottavino relieved and gave up the go-ahead run. Slater just beat center fielder Gerardo Parra’s throw to the plate.
Bettis gave up two runs and six hits in a 6 1/3 innings, struck out four and walked four.
He had allowed five or more runs in his previous five starts but hadn’t lost, a streak that is tied for the longest in major league history with Rube Walberg from June 1-18, 1932. All of Bettis’ decisions have come away from Coors Field.
Desmond hit a one-out solo homer in the second to put Colorado ahead before Hernandez tied it.
Four of Hernandez’s 10 home runs have come against the Rockies. His previous career high was three, and he didn’t hit any last year.
”It feels great, last year having nothing (homers) to this year having 10,” he said.
Following the Giants’ first day off since June 7, Brandon Crawford had three hits and scored the deciding run on the walk by Hernandez after a one-out single and steal of second.
San Francisco improved to 6-2 on its current homestand.
”We’ve been playing better
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Holland matched his season high with eight strikeouts while pitching a season-long 6 2/3 innings. Looking to win back-to-back outings for the first time in 2018, the lefty settled for a no-decision. He allowed six hits, the one earned run and walked two.
Three intentional walks by Colorado pitchers were the team’s most since three on June 24, 2016, against Arizona.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: LHP Mike Dunn (upper back strain) and RHP Scott Oberg (back strain) each responded well from rehab outings with Class A Modesto – both pitchers struck out two with a walk in a scoreless inning – and were set to play catch Tuesday. ”They’re healthy,” Black said. ”I think they’ve checked off a couple boxes health-wise. We have some decisions to make.”
Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija was tagged for five runs in the first inning and six in all of his rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento at Albuquerque as he works back from tightness in his pitching shoulder. Samardzija allowed seven hits in four innings with six strikeouts, two walks and a pair of home runs. … RHP Johnny Cueto (right elbow sprain) is set to pitch for Sacramento on Friday, throwing up to 70 pitches. … 3B Evan Longoria is underway with his initial rehab work following surgery for a fractured left hand. There is still no timeline change from the initial indication of six to eight weeks, Bochy said.
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (7-6, 3.55 ERA) makes his 10th road start out of 16 2018 outings and is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two appearances against the Giants this year.
Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (1-2, 3.20) makes his fifth start of 2018 needing one strikeout for No. 1,500 of his career – and playing in his 239th career game would become the fourth-fastest lefty to accomplish the feat in the live-ball era, according to STATS.
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