The first pitch of Monday night’s game was typical of Coors Field. Giants outfielder Gorkys Hernandez teed off on Rockies ace Kyle Freeland, sending it high and deep into the high-rising right field stands.
That early success was few and far between in a 5-2 Giants loss which ended the team’s three-game winning streak following a sweep of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks. The loss keeps the Giants three games out of first.
It was not out of the question for Hernandez’s home run to kickstart an offense-dominated game. The thin mountain air in Denver, Colorado has cemented the stadium’s reputation as a hitter’s ballpark and the stats confirm that legacy: Coors Field ranks first in runs and hits caused among all MLB ballparks.
But for six innings, the Giants and Rockies were locked into a low-scoring affair. The early innings were kept close largely thanks to a pair of fantastic catches from Giants left fielder Austin Slater.
Freeland was near-perfect for the Rockies, excluding the blemish of Hernandez’s leadoff home run and a deep single from Buster Posey that scored Brandon Belt from first base. He retired 13 straight Giants batters before finishing his night with two earned runs through seven innings.
On the other end, Madison Bumgarner struggled in a way similar to his five-inning, four-walk loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 16. Bumgarner relinquished seven hits and three walks through six innings.
He looked to be in control until the bottom of the seventh inning, and started the inning under 85 pitches. But a pair of singles, followed by a slow dribbler that turned into an infield single, sent Bumgarner back to the dugout with no outs and the bases loaded.
Reyes Moronta relieved Bumgarner, only to immediately walk home a run. He forced a double play with his next batter and the Giants looked like they might escape the inning with a tie intact.
But when a high-bouncing ground ball came to the Giants’ gold-glove winning shortstop Brandon Crawford, he made an uncanny mistake. When Crawford gathered, he failed to plant his foot properly and threw the ball sailing over the head of Belt at first base, giving the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
From there, the Giants continued to unravel. The team’s offense stagnated while the Rockies added a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and closer Wade Davis ended the night with a 3-2 strikeout of Crawford.