DENVER – While it took only two pitches for the Rockies to fall behind the Giants on Sunday, LHP Kyle Freeland settled down to deliver five innings of solid work in a 6-2 win.
On a day when the first 15,000 fans at the ballpark received his bobblehead, Freeland waggled for five frames, surrendering only two runs, both on solo homers. His fastball had a touch more life than usual and his five strikeouts came on a mix of four-seamers and sliders.
Donovan Solano deposited the southpaw’s second pitch of the game into the left field bleachers, a well-located fastball two inches off the inside of the plate to give San Francisco the early lead. In their next matchup, Freeland fluttered a slider in Solano’s wheelhouse for another solo shot, the second multi-homer game in a career of just 13 home runs for the journeyman infielder.
Excluding the Giants’ shortstop, the rest of the club contributed with only three hits and one walk against Freeland; no one else even touched second base.
Colorado supported Freeland immediately in the bottom half of the first inning with three runs of their own off San Francisco starter RHP Tyler Beede. Charlie Blackmon’s leadoff double into the left field corner was followed by a Trevor Story 409 ft homer, his fifth consecutive game with a long ball verse the Giants and his 17th overall against the franchise since 2017, the most of any NL player against one opponent.
Not to be outdone, Nolan Arenado put one out 424 ft for his 23rd blast of the year, a solo shot that put ahead the Rockies, 3-1.
Blackmon repeated history with another leadoff double in the third, this time to right field. Story walked after falling behind 0-2 to set the stage for Daniel Murphy’s 60th RBI of the year, a single that scored Blackmon. Arenado grounded into a double play, scoring Story and lifting Colorado, 5-2.
In the fifth, Arenado added his second home run of the game, No. 25, another 424 ft jack to give the Silver Slugger and Gold Glover his third multi-homer game of the season and 18th of his career.
The 40,084 in attendance witnessed the return of Wade Davis as the temporarily-removed closer pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out one and giving up a single to recently activated Evan Longoria.
Davis set the stage for the latest bridge to new closer Scott Oberg in the seventh and eighth. Jake McGee worked a scoreless frame thanks to a double play that wiped away a leadoff single by Steven Duggar and Jairo Díaz struck out two in his quick inning of work.
Oberg threw just seven pitches to secure the series victory in the ninth and prevent Colorado’s seventh loss this season at home against the Giants.
After Monday’s off-day, the Rockies start a brief two-game set against the Astros in Houston where they reunited with recently traded DBacks ace Zack Greinke.
