Unlikely hero powers Rockies win over Giants

After wrapping an extra-inning win early Friday morning for their fans back home, the Colorado Rockies went back to work at AT&T Park in the evening looking to secure at least a series split against the San Francisco Giants.

With a fatigued bullpen, the Rockies got the long outing they needed from a red-hot Kyle Freeland while Ian Desmond got the best of Derek Holland twice to lead the team to their second consecutive win.

Colorado put Holland to work early, with Charlie Blackmon working an eight-pitch at-bat and Chris Iannetta following that with a 13 pitch one to start the game. Both would fly out, and Holland worked a 1-2-3 inning, but the Rockies got an early look.

In the bottom of the frame, the Giants put Freeland to work, as well. Gorkys Hernandez drove the third pitch of the game over the center field wall to put the Giants ahead early. Buster Posey also lined a single in the frame, but Freeland escaped without further damage.

The game would remain 1-0 in favor of San Francisco until the fourth when Ian Desmond turned a ball around 393 feet to left field for a three-run home run, his seventh of the season.

Desmond made the next notch on the scoreboard in his next at-bat, driving Holland’s 111th pitch 390 feet as well, this time to straight-away center for a ground rule double scoring Nolan Arenado and making the score 4-1.

Freeland, meanwhile, dominated into the seventh, his fifth straight game going that deep. After giving up a single to Brandon Crawford to put runners on the corners, Bryan Shaw came in for his 500th career appearance. He struck out Brandon Belt to end the threat and preserve the three-run lead.

Freeland ended the night with five strikeouts to one walk and one run. He retired 11 hitters in a row spanning from the third to the seventh innings, including a strikeout of the side in the sixth.

Bryan Shaw continues to look stellar as of late, pushing his scoreless streak out to eight innings with 1.1 IP featuring a pair of strikeouts.

Charlie Blackmon added an insurance two-run homer in the ninth. busting up a 1-for-12 slump he had been in and making the score 6-1.

That meant Colorado could rest the backend of their bullpen who desperately needed it. Mike Dunn worked the ninth, walking a batter and striking out a pair to end it.

The Rockies improved to 25-20, 18-9 out on the road. They are a half-game back of first place in the NL West.

Final Stats

Kyle Freeland: 6.2 IP, 1 R (ER), 5 H, 5 K, BB

Bryan Shaw: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K

Mike Dunn: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Trevor Story: 2-for-3, 2B, BB

Ian Desmond: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI

Nolan Arenado: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB

What’s Next

Game three of the series between the Rockies and Giants starts at 2:05 Mountain Time. Jon Gray will look to rebound after his tough last outing, opposing Chris Stratton. Stratton is currently 4-3 with a 4.88 ERA.