Cody Gearrin – Sports Radio Service

AP17247820181173 — San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Cory Gearrin heads to the dugout after giving up a bases-loaded, walkoff walk to Colorado Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez in the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, in Denver. The Rockies won 4-3. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By Morris Phillips

Giants win one at Coors Field? In 2017, that’s complicated.

The NL West cellar dwellers couldn’t decipher a familiar foe on Monday, the seventh time this season the Giants failed to get a win in Denver against the Rockies.

Chris Stratton started, looking to build on his previous three starts, and was a staked to an early lead. But that 2-0 lead didn’t last much longer than an expedited, inning break, then the Giants’ offense went cold. The big finish was simply predictable, a bases loaded walk drawn by Carlos Gonzales, as reliever Cody Heard in failed to throw the slugger one strike with the bases loaded.

“It’s about getting the job done,” Gonzalez said. “We needed this win. We need wins. Any at-bat, whatever it is, if it’s a groundball, error, or a single, whatever gets the job done to win the game is always exciting.”

The Rockies became the first team to win games on a walk twice in a season since the 2014 Rangers. The win was the Rockies’ third against the Giants this year on the game’s final at-bat.

The Giants haven’t won at Coors Field since September 2016, losing eight straight. And the Rockies couldn’t have been more vulnerable, losing five of six in their current home stand coming in.

But the trends facing Colorado mattered little once leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon got involved.

In the midst of his finest major league season, Blackmon, contributed three hits, including a long home run, his 33rd. With the game on the line, Blackmon doubled, then later scored the winning run in the ninth.

Giants’ pitcher’s paved the path to victory for the Rockies by issuing eight walks, four by Stratton. In contrast, Rockies starter Chad Bettis and four relievers didn’t walk anyone. Bettis allowed home runs to Joe Panik and Denard Span, but limited further damage while pitching into the sixth inning.

Pablo Sandoval went 0 for 4, and is hitless in his last 33 at-bats, the longest such streak for a Giant since Johnnie LeMaster went 0 for 37 in 1984.

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The 310th start of Matt Cain’s illustrious career had a nice ring to it: five plus solid innings, one run allowed and a win.

For a guy that hadn’t won in the month of April in five years, and had just eight wins total in the last three seasons, Wednesday’s outing was akin to walking out to the pitching mound and discovering gold slivers underneath the pitching rubber. Cain wasn’t spectacular, but he was effective, and that alone pays dividends for the Giants going forward.

“He did everything tonight that you can do,” reliever Cody Gearrin said of Cain. “He’s hitting doubles in the gap and pitching outstanding. It’s fun for us as a bullpen to come off of that. He really set the tone tonight.”

Cain had a rough first inning, allowing a run. But he settled in, and was still around in the fifth when his two-base hit incited a three-run rally. The wet weather, and the Giants’ pen led by Gearrin took it from there in the Giants’ 6-2 win over Arizona.

The 32-year old Cain is light years removed his last All-Star appearance in 2012, which means his 2017 salary of $21 million guarantees very little. In fact, after a rough, first outing against the Padres, another could have had the Giants’ tapping the Ty Blach/Tyler Beede spigot. Instead, Cain’s fastball had low 90’s snap, and the double off his bat in the fifth left home plate at 106 mph. Manager Bruce Bochy took note of it all.

“His command, he had four pitches going tonight,” Bochy said. “He had a good curveball along with the changeup and the fastball command. If you look at his last few games, here he gives up a run but he just bowed his neck and went out there and pitched very well.”

After allowing a triple to A.J. Pollock to lead off the game, and a couple of first inning walks, Cain settled. He struck out six in a 10-batter stretch at one point, and kept the D’Backs, who led the National League with 53 runs scored coming in, at bay. When the first two batters in the sixth reached, Cain was finished, having thrown 92 pitches.

Gearrin relieved Cain, and struck out the next three batters on just 13 pitches. Brandon Drury got the worst of those encounters, lasting just three pitches and getting fooled by a slider on check swing strike three.

George Kontos, Derek Law and Hunter Strickland each got an inning after that. Only Law labored, allowing two hits and a run. Closer Mark Melancon got the night off as the Giants’ four-run, ninth inning lead didn’t yield a save situation.

The Giants improved to 4-6, but remain in the NL West basement, three games behind Arizona. But 4-6 isn’t 1-5, as the Giants have experienced a nice rebound after a rough first week. The Rockies visit AT&T Park on Thursday, the first of four games. In the opener, Madison Bumgarner faces the Rockies’ 2013 first-round pick, Jon Gray. The 6’4″ Gray possesses an elite slider, and at least to this date in his career, his numbers have been far more impressive at Coors Field than on the road. Gray was 10-10 in 2016, making 29 starts.

GAME NOTES: Several Giants had encouraging moments at the plate, after the entire lineup struggled to hit during the season’s first week. Hunter Pence came up with a RBI knock on a half swing that gave the Giants their first lead, 2-1. Denard Span had a double and a single, and has hit safely in each of his last three starts. And Jarrett Parker, part of the left field equation that was MIA the first week, delivered a nifty single to the left side to beat the shift.