Giants fall to Rockies, 9-5

The San Francisco Giants lost another one to the Colorado Rockies today, 9-5. The main takeaway for me was that the two teams could have crossed the Rocky Mountains with the amount of walks they issued in today’s game.

Which is funny, because walks are exactly how the Giants got on the board early in the game, making it seem like luck was going to be on their side. LaMonte Wade, Jr. walked with two outs in the second inning. Luis Matos was hit by a pitch and then Brandon Crawford walked to load the bases for Blake Sabol, who doubled in the first two runs.

Things continued to look like they were going to go the Giants’ way in the third inning. A string of wild pitches and passed balls allowed Thairo Estrada to take second after getting on base with an infield single, then after Michael Conforto walked, a passed ball advanced them both and a wild pitch (later ruled a passed ball) allowed Estrada to score the Giants’ third run of the game.

Sadly, that’s where the luck would exit.

In the bottom of the third, starting pitcher Keaton Winn allowed his first baserunner of the game, a walk to Harold Castro. Brenton Doyle followed that up with a single that split the infield defense and shot out into left field. Austin Wynns, the catcher with the bad luck in the first half of the inning, then walked to load the bases.

It seemed like the luck might still go the Giants’ way when Nolan Jones grounded into a force-out just in front of home plate that left Castro with nowhere to go. But Ezequial Tovar said, “I got you” and tripled in all three runners to tie the game.

It was around that point where I thought “Ah, that’s the Coors Field I know and loathe.”

In the top of the fifth, Estrada hit a single that would have been a home run if not for it being hit to the highest wall in the park. It was that kind of day for Estrada, though. We’ll revisit that later. At this point, that was his third single of the game. And it was followed by Conforto’s second walk of the game. But a double play and strikeout ensured that nothing would come of it.

Then the horrors started. In the bottom of the inning, Ryan Walker entered in relief of Winn. He walked Jones, then allowed a single to Tovar that was mishandled by Matos. Then Forever Giant (jk) Kris Bryant singled in the go-ahead run. Bryant then took second on a wild pitch before Walker walked Montero to load the bases. He was really living up to his name today, as he then walked Hunter Goodman with the bases loaded to give the Rockies a 5-3 lead.

And then the collective groans of Giants fans everywhere could be heard as Ross Stripling entered in relief of Walker. With the bases loaded. At Coors Field. And if you’re expecting a grand slam, I don’t blame you. It would make sense with the final score and...you know, general knowledge of both Stripling and also Coors Field. But it wasn’t that bad. He just walked in another run. Doyle then grounded into a force-out, ending our long national nightmare. For that inning at least.

At some point in the sixth inning, the Rockies scored another run. But my notes say, and I quote: “Rockies scored a run. Does it even matter? Life is short and meaningless. Baseball played at Coors Field is like staring into the abyss.” I could look it up, but honestly, does anyone care?

Fine, Jones tripled and then Tovar singled him home. Are you any happier knowing that than you would have been without it? Are you???

Anyway, the Giants showed signs of life in the seventh inning. Sabol walked, and then Austin Slater entered to pinch hit for Mike Yastrzemski and got an infield single that was deflected by the pitcher, so everyone was safe.

And now we’re back to that thing I said about Thairo Estrada earlier. The man hits three singles earlier in the game, but when he’s got two runners on ahead of him, he flied out. Which is not in anyway a dig at him. He did his job and then some today. But the RISP gods, they are rude. The Giants were 2-for-11. And then, once again, a double play ended any hopes of scoring a run.

If you’ve sensed a bit of a pattern, then you know that things got messy in the bottom of the inning. Remember, this starts with two outs. Stripling was one out away from this not happening. But oh, it did.

Okay, so again, with two outs, Castro walked for the third time in the game. Doyle then singled, setting the scene for Wynns to single in both Castro and Doyle to give the Rockies a 9-3 lead.

The Giants swatted back later in the game, with a solo home run from Wade in the eighth and a bit of a rally in the ninth. Crawford walked to start things off, then with two outs, Estrada gets his fourth single of the game that scored Crawford (who had advanced to second on defensive indifference). But that was all she wrote.

And the best part of it all is that we get to do this all again in just a couple of hours.

/continues staring into the abyss