Mitch Haniger, J.D. Davis blast SF Giants to 11-10 victory over Rockies
The SF Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies in an 11-10 victory on Sunday afternoon, avoiding an embarrassing four-game sweep. The Giants still lost a four-game series against the worst opponent remaining on their schedule and now have the odds stacked against them if they want to reach the postseason. Following the win, they are 76-74 on the season and two games back of the Dbacks and Reds for the final National League Wild Card.
SF Giants SP Sean Manaea pitches against the Rockies on September 17, 2023.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Giants veteran pitcher Sean Manaea's second start since he rejoined the rotation last week, the lefty held the Rockies scoreless for five innings before struggling in the sixth. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and zero walks with three strikeouts across 5.1 innings pitched. With the Giants offense finally awakened from a recent slumber, Manaea pitched well enough to get the win.
Rockies starter Chris Flexen no-hit the Giants for four innings before they finally got on the board in the fifth. J.D. Davis ended Flexen's flirtation with a no-no by singling to start the inning and scored the first run of the game on an RBI double by Mitch Haniger.
Haniger has made a lot of hard contact during this weekend's series, generating an exit velocity of at least 95 mph on six of his 12 plate appearances. However, he was not rewarded for that consistently solid contact until Sunday. He finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the fifth, San Francisco's bats came alive in the sixth. Thairo Estrada sparked a rally with a one-out single, scoring on a double by Joc Pederson. A Michael Conforto single put runners on the corners for Davis, who singled in another run. An infield single by LaMonte Wade Jr. loaded the bases for Haniger, whose second double of the day drove in a pair.
With two runners on base, Rockies reliever Matt Koch left a 1-2 fastball to Brandon Crawford out over the middle of the plate. The veteran shortstop crushed a three-run homer to right field to blow the game open.
The Giants' offensive barrage was not quite over yet. A Mike Yastrzemski double and Estrada single capped off an eight-run inning before Colorado retired the side.
Manaea and reliever John Brebbia combined to allow five runs in the bottom half of the inning, but the Giants offense kept rolling in the seventh. This time a single by Austin Slater and a walk by Wade set rookie catcher Patrick Bailey up to drive in two runs with a double to right field.
The Rockies added a run against Tyler Rogers in the seventh but were shut out by Luke Jackson in the eighth. Then, in the ninth, Giants closer Camilo Doval continued his late-season skid. While it was not enough to surrender the lead, Doval allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and an error by himself. The righty's velocity may not be significantly down, but opposing hitters are clearly seeing his pitches far better than they did early in the season.
With two outs and the tying run on first base, Giants manager Gabe Kapler decided to call upon Taylor Rogers to close things out. He retired Charlie Blackmon and recorded his second save of the season.
The SF Giants will now enjoy a day off on Monday while they head to Arizona for a pivotal three-game series against the Diamondbacks. With the wild card slipping away, San Francisco probably needs to pull off an unlikely sweep. Neither team has announced a probable starting pitcher for the first game of the series on Tuesday. First pitch at Chase Field is scheduled for 6:40 PM Pacific.
