SAN FRANCISCO — After blowing consecutive two-run leads in the late innings, it was hard to think the Giants’ 3-1 advantage was locked up when Jake Peavy departed in the seventh inning.
The Giants bullpen hasn’t been unbearable, but 16 blown saves indicates they haven’t faired well in tight situations. That’s why the activation of Sergio Romo holds so much significance to a relatively young bullpen, a group that hopes a splash of experience can smooth over a turbulent stretch, much like it did in Monday’s win.
“This guy’s a closer,” Jake Peavy said of Romo, pitching in his first game since April 10. “To get him back and get big outs just provides more depth that allows everybody to kind of back up when he steps into his role.”
And Romo did step into his role, for the most part. Manager Bruce Bochy said before the game that he’d like to ease Romo into a low-leverage situation, which turned out to be an eighth-inning appearance in a two-run game. He lasted only two batters, allowing a double to Giant-killer Nolan Arenado, but played his part in the team’s 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings.
The Giants (53-32) used two home runs to beat the Rockies (37-44), 3-1, and strung together Peavy’s (5-7, 5.04 ERA) 6 1/3 solid innings with an encouraging effort from the bullpen. The onus was on Peavy to cycle the Rockies’ lineup a few times after a taxing relief series in Arizona, in addition to the bullpen’s 10-run implosion against the A’s not far behind in the rearview mirror.
He navigated one of baseball’s best offenses well, single-handedly bringing across the Rockies’ only run. He tried a pick-off throw to Brandon Belt while Belt was playing off the bag, resulting in a bases-loaded balk to give Colorado an early lead. Otherwise, Peavy kept a steady hand, scattering five hits and two walks to stay out of jams.
The Giants are now 8-0 when he allows two runs or less, and he has a 2.27 ERA in his last eight starts.
“I expect what I’ve been doing out of myself.,” Peavy said. “We certainly have a lot better handle on things, mentally and physically.”
It was almost a seamless handoff from Peavy to the bullpen in the eighth inning, but Christhian Adames trickled one off Grant Green’s glove for a two-out single in the seventh inning to end Peavy’s day. Down came Javier Lopez from the left field line to begin another exam for the bullpen, just as Peavy tipped his cap to a sold-out crowd saluting him on Independence Day.
The lefty specialist needed only two pitches to retire Charlie Blackmon, setting the eighth-inning stage for Romo. The right-hander fired his first pitch in three months at 88 mph, and used his trademark slider to get a groundout four pitches later. But Arenado burned Romo for throwing him a hittable fastball — or anything hittable at all against — by swatting a double to left field.
Bochy walked out of the dugout to reel in Romo, finishing off an outing that reads poorly in the box score. But left out of the play-by-play is a management change for Bochy, who has an arm he feels comfortable throwing against the heart of a team’s order.
“He’s just got the presence you like in a ‘pen,” Bochy said of Romo. “That’s going to help you in the late innings. He’s not afraid, he’s got the experience to help you out there.”
He’s another piece to the bridge that reaches Santiago Casilla, who threw a clean ninth inning for his 20th save of the season.
Now Bochy, who still turned to Lopez, Romo Josh Osich and Derek Law to get one out apiece, can lay off using Cory Gearrin and Hunter Strickland as much. With Romo’s return comes his energetic personality, “El Mechon” warmup song and his tantalizing slider. But the most rewarding byproduct of Romo’s return in another option, another arm for Bochy to stretch the bullpen as far as he can.
Said Bochy: “We really have 4-5 guys I’m comfortable using in the seventh and eighth innings.”