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 The Giants took advantage of the high-altitude ballpark Tuesday
night, overcoming a six-run deficit and roaring back to beat the
Colorado Rockies 12-7.
"I don't know Walt does it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said,
referring to Walt Weiss, his Rockies counterpart. "It's just a
different game. Tough start for us being down like that, but that's
the beauty of this park, it is easier to come back here than
anywhere else. The guys did a great job of not getting down,
battling back."
The six-run deficit matched the largest the Giants overcame this
season.
In 117 of San Francisco's 139 games this season, the Giants recorded
fewer than five extra-base hits. They unloaded that many on three
Rockies pitchers in a six-run seventh that enabled them to overcome
a poor start by Yusmeiro Petit and take their first lead of the
game, 10-7.
Colorado led 6-0 through three innings and 7-1 through five. San
Francisco started its comeback with a three-run sixth.
San Francisco first baseman Buster Posey went 3-for-5 with two
doubles, a home run, three runs and four RBIs. Catcher Andrew Susac
homered, doubled and drove in three runs.
Posey is 26-for-54 (.481) in his past 12 games with six doubles, one
triple, six homers and 18 RBIs. Thanks to that spree, his average is
up to .302.
"This is the time of year that's fun because you can see the
playoffs on the horizon," Posey said. "And really that's the focus,
just coming out and trying to win each day. I feel good, just trying
to keep a good, simple approach and put solid at-bats together."
The Giants knocked out Colorado starter Jordan Lyles and teed off on
Matt Belisle with a six-hit seventh that included four doubles and a
triple.
The beneficiary of the outburst was George Kontos (4-0), who came on
with one out in the fifth and the Giants trailing 7-1. He stranded
an inherited runner at second and then retired the side in order in
the sixth before the Giants overhauled the Rockies with their big
seventh.
Before Kontos went to work, Bochy gave him some words of
encouragement that proved prophetic.
"As I was getting to the mound, 'Boch' handed me the ball and he
goes, 'Hold us here, and we'll get you a win,'" Kontos said. "And he
came inside (after the game) and he goes, 'I told you. I told you.'
"It's crazy to think how quick things can turn just by putting up a
couple zeros and getting back in the dugout and letting our offense
take over."
Held scoreless for four innings, the Giants packed their 12 runs
into the next five frames. They scored at least 12 runs in three of
their past six games, in addition to their 10-9 loss to the Rockies
on Monday.
Lyles pitched 6 1/3 innings, his longest outing in six starts since
returning from a two-month layoff due to a broken left hand, and
gave up a season-high-tying six runs and a season-high eight hits.
He walked center fielder Angel Pagan with one out in the seventh,
and second baseman Joe Panik sliced an opposite-field double to the
left-field corner that sent Pagan to third.
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That brought Belisle (4-7) out of the Rockies' bullpen to face Posey, who
doubled home two runs.
After third baseman Pablo Sandoval popped out, right fielder Hunter
Pence singled home a run and left fielder Gregor Blanco and Susak belted
consecutive run-scoring doubles. Nick Masset relieved Belisle and gave
up a run-scoring triple to shortstop Brandon Crawford.
The Giants' three-run sixth included the homers by Posey, his 19th of
the season, a two-run shot on a 3-1 pitch, and Susak, on an 0-2 pitch.
It was his third of the year and second against the Rockies. The two
homers in the inning were one more than Lyles allowed in any of his
previous 17 starts, totaling 97 innings.
"In the sixth when I gave up a homer to Posey, I fell behind," Lyles
said, "but I'm not going to walk him there with a six-run lead. I left
it down the middle, and he put it in the seats. And I just didn't make a
good pitch to Susac. I had a chance to put him away. ... I just left one
over the plate, and he hit it a long way."
NOTES: The Giants' five extra-base hits in the seventh were their most
in a game since Sept. 18, 2011, when they had five extra-base hits in
the fifth, also at Coors Field. ... The Giants also overcame a six-run
deficit on May 5 at Pittsburgh. They trailed 8-2 after the first five
innings against the Pirates but won 11-10 in 13 innings. ... Giants RF
Hunter Pence singled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 16
games. ... San Francisco 1B Michael Morse underwent an MRI that revealed
a slight left oblique strain. Manager Bruce Bochy said there is a chance
Morse won't return until Sept 9. ... The Giants recalled OF Gary Brown,
INF Adam Duvall (who drove in a run with a pinch single in the fifth)
and RHP Erik Cordier from Triple-A Fresno and selected the contracts of
RHP Brett Bochy, the son of the San Francisco manager, and RHP Chris
Heston from Fresno. To make room on the 40-man roster for Bochy and
Heston, 2B Marco Scutaro and RHP Matt Cain were transferred from the 15-
to the 60-day disabled list. ... The Rockies recalled RHP Rob Scahill
and 1B/OF Kyle Parker from Triple-A Colorado Springs and activated RHP
Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) from the disabled list. Scahill pitched a
scoreless ninth. Kahnle gave up two runs, one earned, in the eighth, and
Parker pinch-hit and popped up in the eighth.
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