Field Level Media
Jun 28, 2018
DJ LeMahieu belted a go-ahead, two-run home run off Sam Dyson with one out in the top of the ninth inning Thursday afternoon, helping the Colorado Rockies edge the San Francisco Giants 9-8 and avoid a three-game sweep in San Francisco.
LeMahieu's heroics came after San Francisco's Alen Hanson had delivered a two-run double off Rockies relief standout Adam Ottavino in the eighth, giving the Giants an 8-7 lead and putting them three outs from a fifth straight win.
But Chris Iannetta, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, recorded his second consecutive single to open the ninth against Dyson (2-2), setting the stage for LeMahieu, whose homer was his eighth of the season.
The blown save was Dyson's fourth of the season.
Ottavino (4-1), despite allowing three hits and two runs in his only inning, was credited with the win while also absorbing his second blown save. Rockies closer Wade Davis pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 22nd save.
After two tight, pitching-dominated games that the Giants won 3-2 and 1-0, the clubs combined for 26 hits and knocked out each other's starters before the fifth inning.
LeMahieu had three hits and five RBIs to lead the Rockies. His two-run single broke a 5-5 and gave the Rockies a two-run lead in the seventh, but Ottavino, who entered the game with a 1.00 ERA, couldn't hold on.
After Andrew McCutchen's RBI double off Jake McGee pulled the Giants within 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh with an unearned run, Joe Panik got the lead-changing eighth rolling with a one-out single.
A walk to Gorkys Hernandez and pinch-hit single by Buster Posey loaded the bases for Hanson, whose flare to right field dropped and plated the tying and go-ahead runs.
The Rockies used a four-run fourth inning to build a 5-2 lead against Giants starter Chris Stratton. Ian Desmond's two-run triple was the big blow of the inning.
Stratton was pulled after the fourth, having allowed five runs and eight hits. He walked one and struck out three.
The Giants immediately countered to even the score with a three-run bottom of the fourth. Panik had a two-run double in the middle of the uprising.
Colorado starter Jon Gray did not return for the fifth, having allowed five runs and seven hits in his four innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
Trevor Story joined LeMahieu with three hits and Nolan Arenado bombed his 19th home run for the Rockies, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Iannetta and Gerardo Parra added two hits apiece, while Desmond contributed two RBIs, helping the Rockies even the season series against the Giants at 5-5.
Hanson, McCutchen, Panik, Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval collected two hits apiece for the Giants, who were seeking their first eight-win homestand since 2012. They settled for 7-3.
One of Belt's hits was his 13th home run, a two-run shot in the bottom of the first after Arenado had opened the scoring with his blast, a solo shot, in the top of the inning.
Hanson scored twice for the Giants, while Panik and Belt had two RBIs apiece.
The Rockies out-hit the Giants 14-12.
--Field Level Media