Pitching staff takes two more hits at Coors Field
Samardzija and Rodriguez suffer injuries in loss
DENVER >> The thin air at Coors Field creates a hitter’s paradise that can turn any outing into a pitcher’s worst nightmare, but on Tuesday the mile-high elevation wasn’t the only reason for the Giants’ pitching troubles.
Simply stepping onto the mound in Colorado proved hazardous enough for Giants pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Dereck Rodríguez, as both exited with injuries in the club’s 11-4 loss to the Rockies. With their sixth loss in their past seven games, the Giants are now a season-low five games below .500 and five games behind the first-place Rockies in the National League West. Help may be on the way for the pitchjng staff. Manager Bruce Bochy said Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to make his first start on June 5.
After opening the season on the disabled list with a strained pectoral muscle, Samardzija has struggled since returning and that continued in the first inning of his outing against Colorado.
“It’s pretty evident in the first inning he wasn’t quite right,” Bochy said. “That’s why we went to the pen early.”
Samardzija surrendered two runs and a pair of extra base hits in the opening inning against the Rockies and after he walked off the field, the right-hander met with the training staff. The veteran was told he wouldn’t continue pitching, and the Giants announced he was pulled from the game with right shoulder tightness.
“I always want to pitch, I always feel like I’m OK to pitch,” Samardzija said. “Sometimes other people got to step in and tell you differently. I respect and trust the people around me.”
The club called on rookie Dereck Rodríguez to replace Samardzija. The son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodríguez — promoted from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday — began his professional career as an outfielder, but transitioned to pitching in 2014. With the Giants trailing 2-0, Rodríguez made his major league debut in the second inning and made an immediate impression on Bochy.
“I thought he looked poised, showed good stuff, a good fastball but also good secondary pitches to go with it,” Bochy said. “I thought it was a good debut.”
The prospect also launched an RBI double in the fifth to record his first career hit. Rodríguez allowed three unearned runs in the fifth. But with oneout in the fourth, Rodríguez took a line drive off the shin from Desmond and also was forced to leave the game.
A defense that’s racked up the most errors in baseball did little to help the club’s cause against the Rockies. After Tomlinson flubbed a Charlie Blackmon grounder in the fourth, Brandon Belt cut off Andrew McCutchen’s throw to the plate and tossed the ball away trying to catch Blackmon advancing to second.