San Francisco Giants Michael Conforto rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies in the top of the second inning at Coors Field in Denver on Wed May 8, 2024 (AP News photo)
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Coors Field
Denver, Colorado
San Francisco Giants 8 (17-21)
Colorado Rockies 6 (8-28)
Win: Jordan Hicks (3-1)
Loss: Peter Lambert (2-2)
Time: 2:46
Attendance: 20,532
By Stephen Ruderman
The Giants’ offense was once again able to take advantage of the mile-high air, and Jordan Hicks pitched five solid innings, as the Giants beat the Rockies 8-6 to take the first two games of this three-game series.
After a brutal start to their road trip, which included getting swept in four games in Philadelphia by the Phillies, the Giants were able to get a much-needed 5-0 win last night behind seven strong innings by Kyle Harrison. Wednesday night, the Giants sent Jordan Hicks to the mound after a tough start in Philadelphia Friday night.
For the Rockies, Peter Lambert made the start and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Hicks followed suit and pitched a 1-2-3 inning as well in the bottom of the first.
The Giants then struck big in the top of the second. Michael Conforto homered to right field on the first pitch of the inning, and then Matt Chapman and Mike Yastrzemski hit singles to put runners at first and second with nobody out for Heliot Ramos.
Ramos, who was one of the top prospects for the Giants and in Baseball at one point, has fallen on hard times in recent years. Ramos got cups of coffee with the Giants in 2022 and again last season, but after a strong start to his season for the Triple-A River Cats, the Giants were given no choice but to call him up.
With a 1-2 count, Ramos hit one off the fists and dunked a base-hit to right, which scored Chapman to make it 2-0. Blake Sabol struck out looking, and Nick Ahmed laid down a safety squeeze that scored Yastrzemski, who slid in just ahead of the tag at the plate.
Jung-hoo Lee continued the Giants’ rally when he lined a double to right to score Ramos, and LaMonte Wade Jr. topped it off with a line drive base-hit off the end of the bat into center to score a pair and make it 6-0.
“That was really nice,” said Hicks. “We got the bats going early today. [We] can’t do that every game, but it’s really nice when you have it.”
The Giants had scored six runs in the top of the second inning, but this was Coors Field, which of course meant that no lead was safe. The Rockies got on the board in the bottom of the second when Brenton Doyle tripled with two outs and scored on a wild pitch.
Yastrzemski tripled to right to start the third, and Sabol doubled him in with one out to get the Giants’ run back, as they now led it 7-1. This time, Hicks was able to respond with a 1-2-3 bottom of the third.
Anthony Molina replaced Lambert for the top of the fourth and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Hicks ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth, as Elias Diaz walked and Brendan Rodgers singled with one out, but Hicks bounced back and struck out Doyle and Sean Bouchard, both looking, to end the inning.
Molina pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth, and Hicks got Hunter Goodman to fly out to center to start the bottom of the fifth. However, the Rockies then made noise. Jordan Beck lined a double to center, and Charlie Blackmon, the elder statesman for the Rockies, lined a single the other way to left to score Beck and make it 7-2.
Ezequiel Tover lined a base-hit to right and Ryan McMahon walked to load the bases for Elias Diaz, who was able to knock in a run with a swinging bunt down the third base line to make it 7-3. Things were starting to spin out of control for the Giants, Brendan Rodgers then stepped in as the tying run, but Hicks was able to get Rodgers ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
That did it for Hicks, who didn’t have his greatest outing and didn’t have his best stuff, but after his rough start in Philadelphia Friday night, this was a big outing for him, as he was able to hold the Rockies to three runs at Coors Field, where they are always dangerous no matter how good or bad they may be.
“[It] wasn’t my favorite outing,” said Hicks. “I feel like it started off pretty good, but Tovar took some pretty good ABs and got me out early…..We battled. [I] made some good pitches towards the end, [and] got that double play.”
Hicks said after the game that he was hampered by the altitude in Denver, as he found himself out of breath after having to cover the bag on 3-1 putouts.
“You feel it a little bit,” said Hicks. “Trying to execute after that is tough, but you have to just grind it and make some pitches.”
Molina pitched a scoreless top of the sixth, and Melvin brought in Sean Hjelle for the bottom of the sixth. Hjelle struggled, as the Rockies got to him for a run. It was Taylor Rogers who gave up the two-out base-hit to Blackmon that made it 7-4.
The Giants finally got to Molina with two outs in the top of the seventh. After Thairo Estrada popped out to second and Wade struck out looking, Conforto walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Chapman then pulled a ball down the line to Ryan McMahon at third, who threw the ball away, which allowed Conforto to score to make it 8-4. Chapman was credited with a base-hit, as he would have beaten the out throw anyway.
“You still have to try and add on some runs, because [things] happen quickly here,” said Melvin. “It feels like a lot of times a lead is never safe, so [it’s] very important to add on at the end as well.”
Ryan Walker pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh for the Giants, as did Jake Bird for the Rockies in the top of the eighth. The submariner, Tyler Rogers, pitched through a one-out double for a scoreless bottom of the eighth, as both of the Rogers twins were able to pitch in front of their family in Denver.
Justin Lawrence pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for Colorado, and Melvin brought in his closer, Camilo Doval, in a four-run game for the ninth. Elias Diaz hit a home run to left with two outs to make it 8-6, but Doval got Rodgers to ground out to short to end it.
Hicks got the win, and Peter Lambert got the loss, as the Giants improve to 17-21. The Giants can sweep the Rockies and end up with a 4-6 road trip with a win Thursday on getaway day. For game 3, San Francisco Keaton Winn ( 3-4 ERA 4.41) and for Colorado Cal Quantrill (1-3 ERA 4.31) will make the start, and first pitch will be in Denver at 12:10 p.m PDT. The Giants return to Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday night for a 7:15pm PDT first pitch as they host the Cincinnati Reds for the first of three games.
News and Notes:
- Heliot Ramos took the roster spot of Jorge Soler, who was placed on the 10-Day Injured List with a right shoulder strain.
- Blake Snell, who made his last start on April 18 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, has since been on the Injured List with an adductor strain. Snell will have a bullpen session Thursday, and then he will make a rehab start for the Single-A San Jose Giants on Sunday.
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