Walk just as good as a hit for Giants
Hernandez works free pass in eighth to bring home go-ahead run
SAN FRANCISCO >> Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino has been virtually unhittable all season.
But Gorkys Hernández didn’t need to record a hit to make Ottavino pay for a mistake Tuesday.
After falling behind 1-2 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants center fielder worked the count full then drew a walk to bring in Brandon Crawford with the goahead run.
Thanks to Hernández’s free pass, an outstanding outing from starter Derek Holland and a save from closer Sam Dyson, the Giants took the series opener from the Rockies 3-2 to earn their 15th win of the month.
“He has pretty good stuff and he threw me a couple sliders, and his fastball is pretty good,” Hernández said. “But 3-2, he threw me a slider, and I saw that it was a ball and that’s what I needed.”
The bases loaded base on balls snapped a 15-inning scoreless streak for Ottavino that dated back to May 8. That was also the last day the Giants were two games above .500, but after secur-
ing their seventh victory in their past nine games, San Francisco improved to 4139.
“We’ve been playing better, and hopefully we can build on this,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re going to have to. Especially when you get later in the season, that margin of error gets a little bit smaller.”
With a 15-9 record in June, the Giants have guaranteed their first winning month in which they played a full slate of games since June 2016.
One of baseball’s most experienced teams may not have many base stealers, but the Giants had speed in the right place and veterans ready to execute against one of baseball’s toughest relievers Tuesday.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning against Ottavino, outfielder Austin Slater darted home from third base and slid headfirst to score the go-ahead run on an Andrew McCutchen sacrifice fly. After leading off the inning with a single, Slater reached scoring position following an infield hit from Hunter Pence and advanced to third after a successful sacrifice bunt from Hernández.
“We needed a bunt down,
and he executed perfectly there,” Bochy said. “He laid off some good pitches to get a walk. That’s what he’s been doing all year. That’s why he’s out there every day.”
Though McCutchen was poised to be the hero at the plate, he couldn’t corral an Ian Desmond double with two outs in the top of the eighth that helped the Rockies even the score against set-up man Mark Melancon.
Holland prides himself on an ability to go toeto-toe with any opposing pitcher and give the Giants a chance to win, even when he’s outmatched on paper. Earlier this year, he faced Nationals ace Max Scherzer and outdueled him in a 2-0 Giants win, a defining moment of the left-hander’s season. The veteran entered Tuesday’s contest with better numbers than Rockies starter Chad Bettis, creating a situation that further stoked his competitive fire. So when Holland surrendered a solo shot to Desmond to put the Giants in a 1-0 hole in the top of the second, he kicked himself for an avoidable 1-2 mistake.
Desmond carried a .213 average into the series opener against the Giants, but his second inning blast marked his fourth extra base hit and 10th hit in 27 at-bats against San Francisco this season.
After failing to strike in the bottom of the second following a pair of hits from Crawford and Joe Panik, the Giants answered Desmond’s home run in the bottom of the third. Hernández led off the inning against Bettis with a 415-foot smash to dead center field for his career-high 10th home run of the season.
“We’re going to be talking about him for awhile,” Holland said. “He’s been doing outstanding this year. He’s been a huge part of this team. Each guy has stepped up when needed, and this guy has stepped up from the very beginning.”
Holland accomplished his goal of locking up Rockies hitters while offering the Giants a chance to seize an opportunity against Bettis. After allowing the first two Colorado batters to reach base in the fifth, Holland recorded a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to escape the jam. He returned in the sixth and again stranded two, pitching around a one-out walk to Nolan Arenado and a one-out single by Trevor Story.
Holland finished the night with a season-high 6 2/3 innings and eight strikeouts, exiting with a runner on second base in the top of the seventh. With the game hanging in the balance, Bochy called on Reyes Moronta, and Moronta answered with a strikeout of D.J. LeMahieu.