San Francisco Giants pitcher Keaton Winn was lit up for eight hits and seven runs in over three innings of work against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Thu May 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Coors Field

Denver, Colorado

San Francisco Giants 1 (17-22)

Colorado Rockies 9 (9-28)

Win: Keaton Winn (3-5)

Loss: Cal Quantrill (2-3)

Time: 2:20

Attendance: 23,870

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants were unable to complete the sweep in Denver, as the Rockies scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning in route to a 9-1 win.

The Giants won the first two games of this three-game set at Coors Field, and were now looking to sweep the Rockies to salvage what started off as a really tough road trip. The Giants turned to Keaton Winn, who made the start on a cold cloudy afternoon in Denver.

For the Rockies, it was Cal Quantrill, the son of former major league reliever Paul Quantrill, who made the start. The Giants had a rally going against Quantrill in the top of the first after Thairo Estrada singled and Michael Conforto walked with one out. However, Wilmer Flores popped out to first base, and Estrada was caught trying to steal third to end the inning.

The game remained scoreless going to the fourth, when Michael Conforto led off the inning with an opposite-field home run to left field. It was Conforto’s seventh home run of the season, and this was also his second-straight game with a home run.

Winn pitched well the first time through the Rockies’ order, as he allowed just one hit, but the second time through would be a completely different story. Ezequiel Tovar led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple to left, and then Ryan McMahon singled in Tovar to tie the game.

Elias Diaz and Sean Bouchard then hit back-to-back doubles to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead. Brendan Rodgers lined a base-hit to left to put runners at the corners for Brenton Doyle, who hit a three-run home run just over the wall in left-center, as the Rockies had six runs in with still nobody out.

Winn finally settled down, as he got Elehuris Montero to pop out to second and Jordan Beck to ground out to short. However, that would be short-lived. Charlie Blackmon hit a triple, which ended Winn’s day, and Tovar doubled off Randy Rodriguez to make it 7-1.

For the Giants, the good news was that this was Coors Field, and they still had five innings left to play. LaMonte Wade walked and Estrada singled with one out in the top of the fifth, as the Giants looked poised to strike back and put a dent in the Rockies’ lead. Conforto then came up, but he hit a ground ball to short for a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Rodriguez pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth, and Quantrill a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. Rogruguez then gave up a pair of doubles to Montero and Blackmon, which plated another run for Colorado in the bottom of the sixth and made it 8-1.

Victor Vodnik came in for Quantrill after six solid innings of work in the top of the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning. Luke Jackson came in for the Giants in the bottom of the seventh and threw a 1-2-3 inning.

Estrada walked and Conforto singled off Vodnik with one out in the top of the eighth, but Wilmer Flores grounded out to short for the second out. Jalen Beeks then came in for Vodnik, and got pinch-hitter Heliot Ramos, who got a big hit in his season debut last night, to fly out off the end of the bat to right-center to end the inning.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers came in for the bottom of the eighth, and gave up a leadoff double to Brenton Doyle. After a pair of strikeouts, one looking and one swinging, Charlie Blackmon lined a single the other way to left to knock in Doyle and make it 9-1. For Blackmon, it was his third hit of the game, and he also had three legs of the cycle without the home run in this one.

Beeks then threw a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to end it.

The Giants were unable to get the sweep, as they have still yet to win three games in a row this season. The Rockies are the only other team who have yet to win three-straight this season. This was also the Giants’ 22nd game in which they were limited to three runs or less.

The Giants fall to 17-22, and they will finally return home to take on the Cincinnati Reds, who have lost eight-straight. The Giants will turn to their ace, Logan Webb, for the first game of a nine-game, three-team homestand. First pitch will be at 7:15 p.m.