Giants Benefit From The Long Ball, End Ugly June With A Win
June 30, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) hits a single against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants ended an ugly June with a much needed win, picking up just their sixth road win over their last 23 road games.
In a game eerily similar to Saturday’s disappointing loss, San Francisco was lifted by home runs from Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, and seven one-run innings from Madison Bumgarner.
Drew Pomeranz held the Giants to Posey’s solo home run through four innings.
The lefty, who was called up Sunday, battled through some adversity. Tony Abreu doubled with one out in the first inning and Posey walked, but the recurring theme–not hitting with runners in scoring position–made its presence known again, as Pence grounded into a fielder’s choice.
The Giants went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position until the fifth inning. Andres Torres’ leadoff double and Abreu’s second double of the game put runners on second and third with no outs for Posey.
Posey sharply grounded out, but Abreu’s base-running mistake turned into a Giants run. After receiving DJ LeMahieu’s throw, first baseman Jordan Pacheco threw wide back to second base to try and catch Abreu, who took off to an occupied third base, assuming the runner had already broke for third. Pacheco’s throw rolled into left field, easily allowing Torres to score.
The costly error didn’t mean much when Pence’s 13th home run of the year cleared the bases and put the the Giants up 4-1. His blast ended San Francisco’s 18 at-bat hit-less streak with runners in scoring position.
Posey was the club’s home run leader after his third-inning blast, but Pence evened the tally back up.
Colorado was the beneficiary of the long ball in the sixth inning. Carlos Gonzalez swatted Bumgarner’s first-pitch slider into the Giants bullpen, and the ball caromed off an object to kick of Giants reliever George Kontos.
Wilin Rosario doubled in the Rockies’ only other run. Sandy Rosario couldn’t cease Michael Cuddyer’s 26-game hitting streak, and he then gave up a run on Rosario’s double that sailed over Pence’s head in right field.
Guillermo Quiroz, who had two hits and an RBI, got the run back for the Giants. It wasn’t your prototypical RBI knock, however. The catcher’s pop out landed in between three Rockies fielders, none of which put a glove on the ball. Juan Perez, racing around the bases with two outs, slid head first into home plate to make it 5-1.