San Francisco Giants Buried Under Early Avalanche Of Colorado Runs In 8-2 Loss
By Phil Watson
Apr 21, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (center) meets with pitching coach Dave Righetti (left) and catcher Buster Posey (right) during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong couldn’t get out of the second inning and the Giants never recovered, dropping the opener of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies Monday 8-2 at Coors Field in Denver.
Vogelsong (0-1) was touched for three home runs while recording just four outs in his shortest start since a two-inning stint on May 15, 2013, against Toronto.
Adding injury to insult, long reliever David Huff had to exit after getting the final two outs of the second inning. Huff injured his left quad running out a single—his first career hit—in the top of the third. He stayed in the game to score the Giants’ first run, but did not come out for the bottom of the third. Yusmeiro Petit came on as San Francisco’s third pitcher in as many innings.
Colorado (10-10) got to Vogelsong right away in the first inning. Nolan Arenado popped a one-out homer to left center to get the Rockies on the board and one out later, Wilin Rosario hit his third homer of the season with two men aboard to make it a 4-0 game.
Charlie Blackmon led off the bottom of the second with a homer to right field to put the Rockies up 5-0 and after a single, a flyout and a walk, Vogelsong’s night was done after 59 pitches and four outs. He allowed five runs on six hits while walking three.
Huff came on and induced a double-play grounder by Justin Morneau to end the inning, but then ran into his own trouble in the third after leading off the inning with an infield single.
After a delay to check on Huff, he stayed in the game and moved up on back-to-back singles by Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence to load the bases, scoring when Buster Posey bounced into a double play.
Petit gave up two runs—quickly—in the third before settling down. Rosario led off with a single and Corey Dickerson followed with his first homer of the season to center field to put the Rockies up 7-1.
Colorado added another run in the bottom of the eighth when Blackmon belted his second homer of the night, this one off J.C. Gutierrez, to put the Rockies up 8-1.
San Francisco (11-9) managed a run in the top of the ninth off reliever Chad Bettis. Brandon Belt led off the inning with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball by Rosario and scored when Bettis threw off-target to first base on Gregor Blanco’s comebacker. The Giants didn’t record an RBI in the game.
Petit wound up working four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and walking one with six strikeouts. Jean Machi worked a perfect seventh inning and Gutierrez struck out one while surrendering Blackmon’s homer in the eighth.
Jorge De La Rosa (1-3) got his first win of the year for the Rockies, working five effective innings, allowing one run on five hits, and lowering his ERA to 6.38.
Vogelsong’s ERA is now an unsightly 7.71 in four starts, of which just one qualified as a quality start.
The Giants didn’t exactly break out of their slump in the mountain air, either, with six hits. Pence and Belt were each 2-for-4. Posey was 0-for-3 with a walk and is now hitting .227, while Pablo Sandoval—dropped to fifth in the order—was 0-for-4 and is now hitting .162.
The series continues Tuesday with Madison Bumgarner (2-1, 3.48 ERA) scheduled for the Giants and left-hander Franklin Morales (1-1, 4.82 ERA) slated to start for the Rockies.