Solano's Go-Ahead Homer Keys Giants 11-8 Win Over Rockies
DENVER (AP) — Donovan Solano had four hits, including a tie-breaking home run leading off the sixth inning, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Rockies 11-8 on Wednesday to complete a four-game series sweep, their first at Colorado in nearly eight years.
Pablo Sandoval sparked a three-run first inning with a two-run double and Stephen Vogt also homered for the surging Giants, who have won five straight and 12 of their last 14. Brandon Belt had an RBI single among his three hits.
Trevor Story and Ryan McMahon homered for the Rockies, losers of four straight and 11 of their last 13.
San Francisco broke through for five runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Two of the three runs the Giants scored in the eighth were unearned after center fielder Garrett Hampson, who came on in the top of the third for injured David Dahl, failed to handle Joe Panik's fly ball for an error. Dahl fouled a pitch off his left foot in the first inning and was removed in the second.
The Rockies got three runs in their final at-bat, including a two-out, two-run homer by Story. Mark Melancon relieved Andrew Suraez and got Nolan Arenado to fly out to center for the game's final out and his first save of the season.
It was the first-four game sweep by the Giants in Colorado since Sept. 15-18, 2011.
Solano, who got the start in a day game after a night game to give regular shortstop Brandon Crawford a break, broke a 5-5 tie when he homered off Jon Gray (9-7) to start the Giants' sixth.
The Giants jumped on Gray for three first-inning runs, two of them scoring on a double by Sandoval. Colorado went in front 4-3 on McMahon's two-run homer off Shaun Anderson in the Rockies' fourth, a short-lived lead that was erased by Vogt's two-run drive off Gray in the fifth.
Story tripled to start the Rockies' fifth and scored one out later on by a single by Nolan Arenado.
San Francisco starter Shaun Anderson, in his first career start at Coors Field, went 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits.
Gray went 5 1/3 innings and allowed 11 hits and six runs. He walked three and struck out three.
Derek Holland (2-4) picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: OF David Dahl left the game in third inning after fouling a pitch off the top of his left foot during his first-inning at bat. He is listed as day to day with a bruised left foot. Garrett Hampson replaced him in center field. ... INF Brendan Rodgers was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL a day after undergoing surgery to repair a Labral tear in his right shoulder. He is likely out for the rest of the season. ... LHP Harrison Musgrave (left elbow flexor strain) was reinstated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (5-7, 3.86 ERA) is set to pitch Thursday night's series opener in San Francisco against the New York Mets, the only NL team that has not put a loss on Bumgarner's record.
Rockies: Following an off day, the Rockies open a season-long 10-game road with an interleague series against the New York Yankees that opens Friday night with LHP Kyle Freeland (2-6) slated to start the opener.