Carlos Gonzalez delivers win over Giants in extras

It took 12 innings but the Colorado Rockies emerged victorious amid numerous bouts with frustration and an increasingly present flock of seagulls that gathered and swarmed as the game drew on.

It was tense until the last moment, but a clutch hit from Carlos Gonzalez would hold up behind brilliant pitching all night in a 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants by the bay.

The last time Chad Bettis made a start, it got away from him and the game got away from the Rockies who blew a six-run lead to the Brewers. Bettis was much more locked in this time around, though a few mistakes would prevent him from getting the win.

He escaped his first bout with trouble, giving up a single on the first pitch he threw but erasing it on a Tony Wolters middle infielder throw to complete a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play.

Trevor Story got the first base hit for the Rockies once again, but it came in the second inning instead of the eighth this time. Ian Desmond followed with an excellent at-bat, walking after seeing eight pitches. Wolters popped out meaning the Rockies would need a two-out hit from interim second baseman Daniel Castro.

Not only did Castro deliver, he came through with a groundball double that scored Desmond all the way from first. And it didn’t end there as Bettis helped his own cause with a second straight two-out hit, an RBI single to center.

The Giants chipped into that lead in the third. Again the lead-off man got to Bettis, this time Austin Jackson who doubled to left. Bettis got a weak groundout that did not allow the runner to advance but then surrendered an opposite-field base hit to his opposite number, Jeff Samardzija.

With one out and runners at first and third, Bettis was a double play ball away from escaping any damage but Hernandez managed a hard sinking liner to center field that went down as a sac fly.

The score held at 3-1 until the sixth when a two-out walk to Buster Posey came back to haunt Bettis on a home run off the bat of Brandon Belt that tied the game.

One year and one day since being pronounced cancer free, Chad Bettis threw a quality start in MLB. That’s pretty amazing.

Bryan Shaw came on for the seventh and struck out the side. With the game still tied, Adam Ottavino was asked to pitch two innings, and though the second proved more difficult to get through, he gave up just one infield hit, striking out three to send the game to extras.

Jake McGee was also asked to go two innings and gave up a two-out double to Brandon Belt in the 11th but buckled down and kept the scoreboard clean to send it to the 12th.

It was the first time McGee had thrown multiple innings since August of 2014.

Colorado was finally able to break through in the top of the 12th, getting a trio of walks from Chris Iannetta, Charlie Blackmon, and Nolan Arenado, followed by a two-out, two strike, two-run single to center from Carlos Gonzalez to put the Rockies ahead 5-3.

CarGo delivered his hit just after the clock reached midnight back home in Colorado.

Wade Davis came on in the bottom of the 12th and ran into some trouble with a pair of walk but got Gregor Blanco to fly out to right to end it.

Colorado improved to 24-20, 17-9 on the road. They are a game-and-a-half out of first place in the NL West.

What’s Next:

The second game of the series takes place Friday evening and sees a battle of lefties as Kyle Freeland faces off against Derek Holland. First pitch at 8:15 Mountain Time.