© Ron Chenoy | 2019 Aug 2
COLORADO – In the midst of a Wild Card race, every Giants loss stings a little more.
Handed the lead in the sixth inning, the bullpen couldn’t quite hold on to it as the Giants lost 5-4 in their series opener in Colorado.
After a lackluster July, Shaun Anderson showed glimpses of the pitcher he was in May and June.
Anderson wasn’t great, nor was he bad – he was efficient. The rookie right-hander did exactly what the Giants needed him to do, throw strikes while limiting the damage in a daunting ballpark that is Coors Field. Anderson tossed five innings allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks.
It was the Rockies who struck first. Ryan McMahon singled, then Raimel Tapia hit a ground ball to second which looked to be an inning ending double play, but Scooter Gennett couldn’t come up with it cleanly and was forced to only get the out at first. The next at-bat, Tony Wolters made the Giants pay with an RBI single that scored McMahon from second.
Colorado’s bats weren’t done there. Trevor Story lead off the third inning with a home run to dead center – Steven Duggar made a nice effort to rob the ball but came up just short, extending the Rockies lead 2-0.
A replay review would result in the Giants’ first run. With runners on first and third, Brandon Crawford hit a slow roller to second base that was originally called a double play to end the inning. Upon further review, however, Crawford was ruled safe and Mike Yastrzemski scored on the play, cutting the Rockies lead to 2-1.
It took a few innings for the Giants bats to really come alive, but their offense got going in the fifth inning.
With Duggar on first, who went 2-4 in his first game back in the big leagues, Austin Slater smacked a stand up triple off the right field wall, easily allowing Duggar to score from first.
Yastrzemski then continued to do what he has done consistently since coming over from the Orioles, hitting his 10th home run of the year. The home run traveled 472 feet with a 108 mph exit velocity giving the Giants their first lead of the game, 4-2.
4⃣7⃣2⃣ FEET!
That’s so many feet.
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/4uddg0ZGUx— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 3, 2019
Bruce Bochy let Anderson start the sixth inning, but after giving up a lead off single, Bochy turned to a new rookie, Sam Selman.
What has been a lights out Giants bullpen quickly gave up Anderson’s lead. In his first batter faced, Selman allowed a two run home run to McMahon. The Rockies would eventually add another run in the seventh against Reyes Moronta, to take the lead 5-4.
In his first start following the trade deadline, Madison Bumgarner will take the bump on Saturday – first pitch is at 5:10 p.m.