Giants Overtake Rockies, 8-6 in Ninth
For the second consecutive game, the San Francisco Giants came back in the late innings to win a game in the desert, this time defeating the Colorado Rockies with a Jarrett Parker grand slam off of Nick Masset to tie it in the eighth, and a Hector Sanchez, two-run shot in the ninth to win it, 8-6. Matt Cain’s line read six earned runs, on nine hits, with three walks and a single strikeout, in five full innings. A total of four Giants pitchers closed out the final four frames without allowing any runs, with Jean Machi getting the win.
Colorado got the scoring started in the first off of Matt Cain, when Troy Tulowitzki doubled Charlie Backmon home and then subsequently scored on Carlos Gonzalez’ double, indicating that Cain was still in the midst of that not-quite-there stage, but running out of time to get those pesky mechanics down pat.
Nolan Arenado, who had three RBI’s on the day, accounted for one of them in the third, when he tripled home Corey Dickerson, who had walked to open up the inning. When Arenado came up in the fifth with two on, he tripled them home and then scored on a force out at second, ending the Rockies’ scoring. I watched Arenado last year and thought this guy is so much like all the rest of those deadly Colorado bats, and here he scorches a double and a triple and accounts for three runs. He’s a guy to keep a close watch on.
Hunter Pence finally wiped the goose-egg off the scoreboard for the Giants by hammering a two-run shot in the seventh with Brandon Belt on base. It was a grand beginning. When the Giants spotted the Rockies two outs in the bottom of the eighth before they began to get down to business, I confess I was a tad edgy. However, Juan Perez singled, stole second and Tyler Colvin walked. Brandon Belt then swung at a third strike and missed, the ball getting away from the catcher and Belt ending up safe at first, with the bases loaded. That’s when Parker unloaded and tied up the score at six apiece. Adam Ottavino came on in relief to get the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, in typical National League style, Ehire Adrianza drew a lead-off walk from Rex Brothers and Gregor Blanco bunted him along to second. Electing to skip the step of advancing Adrianza to third, Hector Sanchez went ahead and hit a home run so that the Giants could leave the desert for the Bay Area on a winning note. The Giants come home for a three-day series with across-town rival Oakland, before they return to Arizona to face a stirred-up den of rattlers for the season opener, who can’t be happy at the way things worked out for them in Australia.
The Giants will be ready to face the Arizona Diamondbacks when the starting gate opens, don’t you worry about that. Right now, they just want to get back home, play two nights in front of home crowds, wrap things up in Oakland, and head back to the desert. At least the Giants finished out spring training with some fireworks, just to let the locals know we’ve got some business to attend to with an outfit of Snakes. We’ll be back at high noon, or whatever time the Season Opener begins.
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