Connor Seabold answered the Rockies’ desperate prayers. The right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and pitched into the seventh.
He was brilliant.
And it still wasn’t enough to beat the Giants, who are leaving their footprints all over Coors Field.
The Giants roared back to score five unanswered runs and steal a 5-4 victory Wednesday night in front of an announced crowd of 24,149. It was San Francisco’s 10th consecutive win over Colorado and they won in LoDo for the 15th time in the last 18 games.
The Rockies — their rotation a shambles, their bullpen taxed to the max — needed quality innings from Seabold. Especially after Colorado threw 240 pitches in an ugly 10-4 loss to San Francisco Tuesday night. Seabold delivered six-plus innings, giving up two runs on two hits with four strikeouts. He had the Giants fishing for his changeup from the beginning of the game.
“I was able to mix all four of my pitches,” Seabold said. “The changeup has been the difference-maker — big time.”
Manager Bud Black knew Seabold was capable of the performance he delivered Wednesday night.
“That’s the version that you would like to see out of Connor,” Black said. “Four pitches, fastball command to both sides of the plate, good change, slider and a couple of curveballs. He was changing speeds and disrupting the timing of the hitters.”
Black also noted that Seabold faced six left-handed hitters and was able to keep them off-balance.
But the Rockies’ victory began evaporating in the seventh. Ominously, Seabold issued a leadoff walk to Michael Conforto and then gave up a single to Mitch Haniger. That was it for Seabold, who received a standing ovation when he left the mound.
“I go out for the seventh and walk the leadoff guy. That can’t happen,” Seabold said. “I can’t express how much I hate walks, especially in that situation. Outside of that, I think I can hold my head high on this one.”
Lefty Brent Suter, who’s been so good for most of the season, relieved Seabold. But Suter was not good Wednesday night, failing to record an out. The Giants ripped into him for three consecutive singles, with pinch hitter Austin Slater driving in one run and Casey Schmitt driving in two.
Justin Lawrence temporarily put out the fire, striking out pinch-hitter J.D. Davis and also setting down LaMonte Wade Jr. and Thairo Estrada to end the seventh. But the Giants got to Lawrence in the eighth, cashing in when Joc Pederson drew a leadoff walk, Mitch Haniger was hit by a pitch and Slater smacked an RBI single to score Pederson. Haniger scored the go-ahead run on a pretty sacrifice bunt from Patrick Bailey.
“It was a great bunt,” Lawrence said. “I got off the mound as quick as I could and tried to get over there to get that ball to home plate but (Haninger) beat the throw. It was a perfect bunt in a big situation in the game.”
Colorado’s Nolan Jones, who started in right field, provided the night’s fireworks, blasting a 483-foot solo homer into the second deck in right field to lead off the Rockies’ sixth, giving them a 4-0 lead. Jones’ homer off of San Francisco right-hander Brandon Webb was the longest by a Rockies player this season and the second-longest in the majors behind a 485-foot homer by the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton on April 2.
The Rockies peppered Webb for three runs on four hits in the second inning, sending eight batters to the plate.
Mike Moustakas, who got the start at first base, led off with a walk, advanced to second on Harold Castro’s single and chugged home on Ezequiel Tovar’s single to left. The big hit of the inning came off the bat of Charlie Blackmon, who ripped a two-run double to right for the 300th double of his career.
Thursday’s Pitching Matchup
Giants TBA at Rockies RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 2.08 ERA)
1:10 p.m. Thursday, Coors Field
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Anderson, claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on May 12, has been a godsend for the Rockies’ bruised and battered rotation. Although he has not recorded a decision in any of his four starts, the Rockies are 3-1 when he takes the mound. In Colorado’s 7-2 win over Kansas City last Friday, Anderson gave up two runs on four hits over six innings. He’ll face the Giants for the first time since April 19, 2021. In 10 career starts against San Francisco, he’s 3-3 with a 4.74 ERA. As of game time Wednesday, the Giants had not announced their starter for Thursday afternoon’s game. It might be right-hander Alex Cobb (5-2, 2.71) or the Giants could use an “opener” and make it a bullpen game.
Pitching probables
Friday: Padres RHP Yu Darvish (4-4, 4.10 ERA) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (4-4, 6.99), 6:40 p.m, ATTRM
Saturday: Padres LHP Ryan Weathers (1-4, 5.09) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-7, 4.06), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM
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