Giants beat Rockies to salvage final game of road trip
Bay Area News Group/tns The San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt crosses home plate to score a run during the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. The Giants won 7-4 to conclude an eight-game road trip.
It was Arenado’s 22nd career home run in 91 games against the Giants, and further proof that no pitcher donning the orange and black has devised a repeatable plan for getting him out.
The Giants rallied for a pair of runs in the second as Brandon Crawford scored on a wild pitch and Mac Williamson raced home on a Pablo Sandoval single, but Colorado added to its lead with a run in the bottom of the frame.
While Holland battled early trouble, so did Rockies starter Jon Gray as erratic command proved to be the right-hander’s downfall. With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, Gray walked Gorkys Hernandez and Buster Posey back-to-back to even the score 4-4.
Holland allowed a combined three baserunners over his final two innings of work, but stranded
a pair in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a tremendous sliding catch from Hernandez in center field.
“That’s my job,” Hernandez said. “That’s a part of the game. If I’m not doing nothing at the plate, I try to help the team on defense. That’s what I do there in center field and anytime I have the chance to grab the ball and make a good play, I’ll do it.”
Though he logged just two quality starts in six May outings, Holland was the most consistent starter on a Giants staff that is eagerly awaiting Madison Bumgarner’s scheduled return on Tuesday. Because the Giants placed Jeff Samardzija on the disabled list and temporarily moved Ty Blach to the bullpen Wednesday, Holland’s spot in the rotation is as solid as any member of the Giants staff.
Rays 6, A’s 0 OAKLAND – The Athletics failed to get a single hit against a pitcher making his first start in 657 days in a loss to Tampa Bay at the Coliseum.
Nathan Eovaldi, coming off not only his second Tommy John surgery but another procedure in March to clean up loose bodies in his right elbow, left after six innings and 70 pitches and 46 strikes, giving up no hits, walking one and striking out four.
Wilmer Font, traded from the A’s to the Rays on May 25, entered in the top of the seventh. Jed Lowrie broke up the no-hitter against Font with a single past second base with one out in the seventh. The A’s wouldn’t get another hit.
Starting pitcher Sean Manaea (5-6) continued to struggle in May after being the ace of the rotation through April. Manaea left after five innings trailing 4-0, having thrown 95 pitches with one walk, two strikeouts and a pair of hit batters.
The Athletics fell to 3-6 on the homestand, which concludes this afternoon against the Rays.
Tampa Bay got a run in the second inning when Carlos Gomez tripled and scored on a double by Johnny Field.
In the third, Manaea hit C.J. Cron with a pitch, and after getting Matt Duffy to fly to right, served up a single to Wilson Ramos.
Refsnyder was next, and he planted a three-run home run into the right center field seats on for a 4-0 Tampa Bay lead. The Rays added a solo home run by Johnny Field in the eighth inning and a run-scoring single by Cron.
The A’s announced attendance figure of 6,705 (it looked smaller) was the smallest of the season, the second of less than 7,000 on this homestand and the 10th time this season they failed to draw 10,000 fans.