The Rockies lost their momentum in San Francisco. Again.
Coming off a 4-2 homestand culminating with a 20-7 bombardment of the Red Sox on Wednesday, the Rockies were manhandled by left-hander Kyle Harrison Friday night at Oracle Park.
Harrison allowed one run on one hit over 6 2/3 innings as the Giants routed Colorado 11-4 Friday night at Oracle Park. Harrison matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts.
Harrison got a big assist from sizzling rookie shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald, who launched a pair of two-run homers as he continued his magical July. All told, the Giants hit four home runs.
The Rockies, 14-37 on the road, have lost nine consecutive games at Oracle. Since the start of the 2021 season, they are 5-24 in the City by the Bay.
“Overall, it was a tough one tonight,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters in San Francisco. “Harrison was the key.”
With left-hander Kyle Freeland on the mound, the Rockies took the field with a puncher’s chance. After all, Freeland came in riding a streak of five consecutive quality starts, during which he posted a 1.95 ERA.
Although Freeland struck out eight and escaped jams in the second and third with clutch punchouts, he was tagged for two home runs. Jorge Soler led off the first with a blast to left, and Fitzgerald ripped a two-run homer to left in the fourth. Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmit also tagged Freeland for triples to right-center field.
Freeland got the hook after four innings, charged with six runs on eight hits.
“Kyle had to work hard and they had some good at-bats against him,” Black said. “Kyle’s stuff was good, but they worked him hard, they really did. And he just couldn’t seem to find the inside corner enough with the fastball.”
Fitzgerald’s second two-run homer came in the sixth inning off Tyler Kinley, extending the Giants’ lead to 8-1.
Fitzgerald, who homered in five straight games from July 9-23, is riding an eight-game extra-base hit streak, the second-longest by a Giants rookie since 1900. It trails only Hall of Famer Hack Wilson’s nine-game streak in 1924.
Fitzgerald’s overall hitting streak is now at nine games, during which he’s hit .452 (14 for 31).
Plain and simple, Harrison owns the Rockies. He’s 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 28 strikeouts. On May 7 at Coors Field, he pitched a career-high seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits in San Francisco’s 5-0 victory.
Powered by a two-run double by Brenton Doyle in the eighth, the Rockies’ hibernating offense woke up late. But it was too little, much too late, especially after Heliot Ramos crushed a three-run homer off reliever Ty Blach in the eighth.
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Saturday’s pitching matchups
Doubleheader
Game 1: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-10, 5.19 ERA) at Giants LHP Blake Snell (0-3, 5.83)
Game 2: Rockies TBA at Giants TBA
5:05 p.m. Saturday, Oracle Park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio:850 AM/94.1 FM
It’s been a difficult season for Feltner, who’s making his 21st start. Even when he’s pitched well, the Rockies have lost and he’s riding a nine-game losing streak. In his last start, he faced the Giants at Coors Field, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with two home runs over seven innings. He’s made three starts of seven innings or more, tied with left-hander Austin Gomber for most on the team. Feltner is 0-4 with a 2.83 ERA and three quality starts in his last five games, but Colorado is 0-5. In four career starts against San Francisco, the right-hander is 0-3 with a 5.09 ERA.
Snell has won two Cy Young Awards, including last year when he posted a 2.25 ERA over 32 starts with the Padres. But this year, he’s not been nearly as sharp. He signed a free-agent deal with the Giants late in spring training and then had three bad starts before going on the injured list with a left adductor strain. He returned from the IL and had three more bad starts before returning to the IL in early June with a left groin strain. In his first six starts, he posted a 9.51 ERA. He’s pitched much better of late, holding the Blue Jays and Twins scoreless before allowing two earned runs against the Dodgers in his last game. In 12 starts against the Rockies, the veteran lefty is 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (2-6, 4.70) at Giants TBA, 2:05 p.m.
Monday: Off day
Originally Published: July 26, 2024 at 11:11 p.m.
