Story by Robbie Lewis (@sayheyrob)
5-17-24 RECAP: Colorado Rockies (15-28) vs San Francisco Giants (20-25)
A couple hours after the Giants learned that Jung Hoo Lee would be out for the season, the Colorado Rockies were waiting for them at Oracle Park. These dudes have won 7 straight coming into tonight. Would it be an 8th straight win for the Rox?
It sure as shit looked like it early as Giants starter Mason Black got smacked around the stadium. Charlie Blackmon led the game off with a single and Ezequiel Tovar followed him up with a double to left field. That set the table for Ryan McMahon and he smashed a 2-run double off the bricks in right field to quickly make it 2-0. Brendan Rodgers didn’t waste any time either as he smoked an RBI double to left field and just like that it was 3-0. Hard to score three runs before you even make an out, but that’s what Colorado did tonight.
Rockies starter Ryan Feltner coughed up a run of his own in the bottom of the 1st. With one out, Thairo Estrada reached on a fielders choice and that brought up Matt Chapman. He’d get the Giants on the board by hitting a frozen rope RBI double down the left field line to decrease the Giants deficit to 3-1.
The abuse on Mason Black continued in the top of the 2nd. Rookie Jordan Beck launched a solo shot over the center field wall to quickly give the Rockies their three run lead back at 4-1. Luis Matos needed a rocket up his ass to have a chance at that one.
Mason Black was pulled from the game after hitting Jacob Stallings in the forearm to leadoff the top of the 4th. Shitty night for him. Very smelly. Sean Hjelle was brought in to replace him and he quickly gave up a ground rule double to Elehuris Montero. LaMonte Wade Jr. then made a diving snag on a hot shot off the bat of Jordan Beck for out number one. Then Hjelle got Charlie Blackmon to fly out to Luis Matos in shallow center for out number two. Hjelle completed the Houdini act by getting Ezequiel Tovar to groundout to Chapman to end the threat. It was still 4-1 and I was still somewhat emotionally invested as you can see.
Mike Yastrzemski rode that small wave of momentum into the bottom of the 4th by ripping a leadoff double into right-center off Feltner. After Heliot Ramos moved him to 3rd on a groundout to 2nd, Luis Matos came to the plate and scored Yaz on an RBI double to left field to cut the Colorado lead to 4-2.
A big opportunity presented itself to the Giants in the bottom of the 5th. Jorge Soler and LaMonte Wade Jr. lined back to back singles to begin a potential rally. Up came Thairo Estrada and after fouling a ball off his shin, he hit a piss rocket of a 3-Run dong into the left field seats to give the Giants their first lead at 5-4. It was incredible to witness. Very incredible. This brought Rockies manager Bud Black out of the dugout and he took the ball from Feltner and gave it to righty Victor Vodnik. Matt Chapman greeted Vodnik to the game with a shot into right field for a single. Still with nobody out, Yaz sent one to right field as well for a single of his own. Chapman scurried over to 3rd on the play. After a Heliot Ramos strikeout, Luis Matos hit one about 35 feet down the 3rd baseline for an infield RBI single to boost the Giants lead to 6-4. Fun inning!
Colorado answered back in the top of the 6th with some two out thunder against Luke Jackson. Blackmon drew a walk and advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. Ezequiel Tovar took advantage and lined a ball out to left field where Heliot Ramos misread the ball and it sailed over his head for an RBI double. So it was now 6-5 Giants. Bob Melvin then came out and took the ball from Jackson and gave it to lefty Erik Miller with fellow lefty Ryan McMahon coming up. McMahon won the battle by drawing a walk and that set the table for Brendan Rodgers. However, Miller would win this battle by getting Rodgers to groundout to Luciano at shortstop to end the inning. Damn this game is wearing me out.
The Giants got that run back and then some in the bottom of the 7th. This time against Rockies reliever Jake Bird. His shit didn’t fly as he hit Matt Chapman and walked Yaz to start the inning. Ramos would pop out for out number one, but with Matos at the plate, a wild pitch allowed Chapman to move his ass over to 3rd. It would be another infield RBI for Matos as he hit a check swing roller towards 1st base for a fielders choice and out number two. It was now 7-5 Giants. With first base open, Blake Sabol drew an intentional walk, so that gave Marco Luciano an RBI opportunity with runners at 1st & 2nd. The kid came through this time with a looping RBI single into right field to crank the Giants lead to 8-5. The first RBI of the young guys career! Just an avalanche of runs tonight. My fingers hurt.
Righty Anthony Molina came on to do a little mop up duty for Bud Black and that didn’t go so well. With one out, Thairo Estrada singled and then Matt Chapman doubled him over to 3rd. Molina would get Yaz to pop out for a big out number two, but he’d go on to walk Heliot Ramos to load the bases full of good guys. That brought up the RBI man himself, Luis Matos, and he came through yet again with a 2–Run single over Ryan McMahon’s head at 3rd to bust the game open at 10-5. Pretty sure the Giants scored more runs on this Orange Friday than they have all the others combined in 2024.
Randy Rodriguez came on in the 9th and danced through some trouble to secure the 10-5 Giants victory. The Rockies finally lose!
Whew, what a damn game. The Giants will try for their first 3 game winning streak of the year tomorrow against these same Rockies. Forever Giant and lefty Ty Blach (1-1, 3.00) will get the ball tomorrow for Colorado and the Giants will send out a younger lefty in the form of Kyle Harrison (3-1, 3.42). First pitch 1:05 PM PT. Time for more beer!
- Soler: 1-4, R, BB (.203)
- Wade Jr.: 1-4, R, BB, K (.311)
- Estrada: 3-5, HR (7), 3 R, 3 RBI (.250) 💣
- Chapman: 3-4, 2 2B, 3 R, RBI, SB, K (.218)
- Yastrzemski: 2-4, 2B, 2 R, BB (.234)
- Matos: 3-5, 2 2B, 5 RBI (.333)
- Luciano: 1-4, RBI, 2 K (.200)
- Black: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 K (7.71)
- Hjelle (W, 1-1): 2 IP, 3 H, K (2.81)
- Jackson: 0.2 IP, H, ER, BB, K (4.50)
- Miller: 0.1 IP, BB (4.71)
- Walker: IP, K (2.35)
- Rogers, Ty: IP, K (2.61)
- Rodriguez: IP, H, BB, K (3.12)
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