Cuevas hits 2-run single in 8th, Rockies beat Giants 9-8
DENVER (AP) — A September call-up, Noel Cuevas just wants to make an impact.
With one choked-up swing, he delivered in a most meaningful way — in the heat of a pennant race.
The rookie pinch-hitter bounced a go-ahead, two-run single through the middle in the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 9-8 on Monday after squandering a five-run lead.
“He’s clutch, man,” Trevor Story said. “He’s not scared.”
This was just another wild game at Coors Field as the Rockies remain in the thick of the NL West chase. They entered the day a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“You always have to grab on and hold on tight (at Coors Field),” said catcher Drew Butera, who was making his Rockies debut after being acquired from the Kansas City Royals last week. “Because anything can happen here.”
On an afternoon when Story hit two homers off Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and the Rockies seemed in command at 7-2 after five innings, they needed the rookie Cuevas to come through with that clutch hit.
Ian Desmond started the eighth with a single and pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta later lined a double off the wall in right. Then, Cuevas stepped into the moment.
He took a big first swing off reliever Tony Watson (4-6) and whiffed. So Cuevas decided to choke up on the bat and focus on going up the middle. It worked — a grounder through a drawnin infield.
“No words for it,” said Cuevas, who was with the team earlier this season. “How much better can it get? It’s almost like a walk-off.”
Colorado had a 7-5 lead in eighth when Giants pinch-hitters Alen Hanson and Chris Shaw hit back-to-back homers off reliever Seunghwan Oh (63). Hanson tied the game at 7 on a two-run homer and three pitches later Shaw lined an 0-2 cutter from Oh over the fence in right for his first career homer.
“What a great comeback. It was a shame we couldn’t hold on,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We really came on strong at the end.”
Wade Davis struck out the side in the ninth for his 38th save.
It’s a pivotal stretch for Colorado, which started off 10 straight at home and all against NL West foes.
“To go down late and come back in the eighth, that was huge,” Story said. “Hopefully we can ride that momentum through the homestand.”
Colorado scored four times in the first off Bumgarner, who threw 35 pitches in facing nine hitters. DJ LeMahieu and Story each hit two-run homers in the inning.