Crawford powers Giants to sweep of Rockies
DENVER — Brandon Crawford homered three times and drove in nine runs over the course of two games Monday, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 in the nightcap to complete a sweep of a split doubleheader.
Crawford followed Stephen Vogt’s homer off Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-2) leading off the fourth with one of his own. It was the second time on the day he was part of a back-to-back set.
In the first game, Crawford went 5 for 6 with two home runs and tied a San Francisco team record with eight RBI as the Giants scored a season high in runs in a 19-2 rout of the Rockies.
Dereck Rodriguez (4-5), recalled from Class AAA Sacramento prior to the second game, pitched 5 innings and allowed 1 run on 4 hits. He struck out six and walked none and kept the Rockies in the yard during his outing. The Giants got four innings of scoreless relief, capped by Will Smith, who got three outs for his 24th save. Crawford had a sparkling defensive play in the ninth to help put the game away, making a diving stop of Nolan Arenado’s grounder and flipping the ball to second baseman Donovan Solan for a force out.
Gonzalez, who was recalled from Class AAA Albuquerque prior to the second game, went five innings and allowed five hits, including the successive home runs to Vogt and Crawford. It was the third time this season San Francisco has had back-to-back home runs in a game and the second time in the doubleheader. Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski went back to back in the first inning of the first game, which was a makeup for a May 8 rainout.
Garrett Hampson, a fleet infielder who pulled off the rare feat of scoring from second base on an infield groundout in a Rockies’ victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, was twice tagged out on the basepaths in Monday’s nightcap. He reached on an error in the third inning and after right fielder Austin Slater dropped Charlie Blackmon’s fly ball for an error, Hampson made a dash for home but slipped and fell rounding third. He tried to scramble back to third but was tagged out by Pablo Sandoval. In the fifth, Hampson doubled in the Rockies’ only run but tried to stretch the hit into a triple. Initially called safe, a replay review showed Sandoval got the tag down before his hand hit the bag.
Yastrzemski went 4 for 6 with a home run and Buster Posey also went deep for San Francisco in the first game in which the Rockies allowed the most runs ever in a game against the Giants, an NL West rival.
DODGERS 16, PHILLIES 2 Cody Bellinger hit his 32nd and 33rd home runs, Clayton Kershaw struck out seven in six innings and major league-leading Los Angeles routed Philadelphia.
REDS 6, CUBS 3 Eugenio Suarez and Yasiel Puig each hit his 22nd home run of the season, and Cincinnati rallied past Chicago.
BRAVES 4, BREWERS 2 Freddie Freeman hit a three-run shot, his 25th home run of the season, and Max Fried pitched five scoreless innings as Atlanta beat Milwaukee.
CARDINALS 7, PIRATES 0 Miles Mikolas pitched a complete-game, eight-hitter and Tyler O’Neill hit two two-run home runs, leading St. Louis over Pittsburgh.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
RAYS 5, YANKEES 4 Travis d’Arnaud hit three home runs, including a three-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning off Aroldis Chapman, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees.
RED SOX 10, BLUE JAYS 8 Rookie Michael Chavis hit his first grand slam, Xander Bogaerts had three hits and Andrew Benintendi (Arkansas Razorbacks) drove in three runs as Boston beat Toronto.
INDIANS 8, TIGERS 6 Oscar Mercado hit his second home run of the game — a leadoff blast in the seventh inning — and Cleveland beat Detroit.
ROYALS 5, WHITE SOX 2 Jakob Junis struck out a career-high 10 and Nicky Lopez drove in two runs and scored twice as Kansas City beat Chicago.