#31
Wednesday 5th March 2021 — San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies @ Coors Field
After a sensational finish to the 2nd game of the series, the Rockies looked to carry that momentum into the final game with the aim of actually taking a series from San Francisco this season — something that have failed woefully at so far.
Fortunately for the Rockies, Jon Gray was back to his good ole stuff. Through six innings, he fanned eight batters, allowing only two runs and keeping the Rockies competitive through the early innings of the game — something they had failed to do in the previous two outings. The Giants pounced in the 2nd inning and took an early 2–0 lead, but the Rockies fought back in the 4th with a series of strong at bats.
Garrett Hampson got the inning going — as he so often does. With one out, Garrett snuck a single through the infield and got the Rockies rolling. He was followed by a single from Trevor Story and a walk from McMahon. With the bases loaded, Charlie Blackmon drove in two further runs to level the game at 2–2. Another walk saw Alan Trejo face his first career AB with the bases loaded — it wasnt exactly the dream scenario, but Trejo got his first career RBI on a walk to give the Rockies a 3–2 lead. What a way to score you first career RBI! Not to be outdone, Jon Gray chalked himself an RBI and was followed by Raimel who brought another two runs home. Before you knew it, the Rockies were winning 6–2.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a baseball game involving Colorado unless there were a couple of heart stopping moments. Even with a 4-run lead in their favour, the Rockies never looked supremely comfortable with their advantage. However, they managed to chalk through the innings with some strong pitching from Gray and Robert Stephenson.
The same cannot be said for Tyler Kinley and Daniel Bard. Kinley gave up 2 runs in the 7th to give the Giants a glimmer of hope that they might be able to turn the game around. In the 9th, the Rockies turned to their closer to shut down the game, but Daniel opened it more than he closed it. It took Bard 30 pitches to get out of the final inning, and only after he’d allowed two walks and an RBI on a very odd play. It wasn’t pretty and it did feel like Bard would blow the save for sure, but two strikeouts allowed him to regain his control and he finished the game on a groundout.
Another example of a game where the Rockies tried very hard to lose, but somehow managed to make it out alive. In doing so, they actually took the series against the Giants, a remarkable fest considering the form that they’ve been on of late.
Now, a big series against Nolan Arenado’s St Louis Cardinals!
Final Score — San Francisco Giants 5 — Colorado Rockies 6
Rockies’ MVP — Jon Gray
Rockies’ Record — 12–19