San Francisco Giants’ Hunter Pence, right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a sacrifice fly to score Orlando Calixte for the winning run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in San Francisco, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The Giants won 4-3. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO- Hunter Pence gave the San Francisco Giants the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it was his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning that was even bigger.

Pence hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning that was caught by Carlos Gonzalez, to score Orlando Calixte from third and the Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-3 before a crowd of 40,686 at AT&T Park.

Calixte was running for Pablo Sandoval, who led off the inning with a single off of Chris Rusin, then Ryder Jones singled and then pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson beat out a dribbler that loaded the bases for Pence, who hit a sacrifice fly that Gonzalez made a diving catch on; however, Calixte easily scored from third base with the winning run.

Pence’s home run gave the Giants a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he hit his 12th home run of the season that was measured at 441 feet over the center field wall, Johnny Cueto helped out his own cause, as he hit a single off of German Marquez.

In the early going, it looked like Cueto would be on a short leash, as his pitch count kept increasing; however, the right-hander ended up going 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking four and striking out six; however, he did not fare in the decision.

The Rockies took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning, as Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run double off of Cueto. It was the 200th hit of the season for Blackmon, the first 200 hit season of his five-year career.

Pablo Sandoval got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he drove in Buster Posey, who singled to lead off the inning, then beat the throw from Nolan Arenado at second base and then scored on the Sandoval single.

It was a nice night at the plate for Sandoval, as he went 3-for-4 on the evening for his second three hit game of the season and his first since rejoining the Giants.

Following Sandoval’s third hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sandoval was replaced by Calixte, who scored the eventual game-winning run for the Giants

Marquez went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking just one and striking out eight and like Cueto, he did not fare in the decision.

The Rockies tied up the game in the top of the eighth inning, as Gerardo Parra hit a double just inside the first base line that scored Gonzalez, who doubled with one out in the inning.

Nolan Arenado nearly gave the Rockies a 4-3 lead, as he hit a Hunter Strickland curveball that was caught Jarrett Parker on the warning track, as Arenado went 0-for-4 on the evening against Giants pitching.

Arenado went 0-for-3 against Cueto, and is now 5-for-32 (.156) in his big-league career.

The Rockies lead for the second wild card dropped to just one game over the surging Milwaukee Brewers, who defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 at PNC Park.

NOTES: Matt Moore looks for his sixth win of the season, as he takes the mound on Wednesday afternoon, while the Rockies will send eight-game winner Tyler Chatwood to the hill, as the Rockies look for the spilt in this brief two-game series.

This was just the sixth win by the Giants in their last 16 home games, and it was their first back-to-back victories since winning four in a row from August 8-18.