Wood helps Giants beat Rockies for 9th straight meeting
By MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alex Wood pitched into the sixth inning and didn’t allow an earned run, Brandon Belt had an RBI double in his return to the lineup and the San Francisco Giants won their ninth straight against the Colorado Rockies, 9-2 on Tuesday night.
Curt Casali added three hits and two RBIs for San Francisco, which has won four straight since losing five in a row.
“Promising last couple of games,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “You can see how valuable it is to have very competitive at-bats at the bottom of the lineup to turn the lineup over.”
Wood (3-2) lost his previous two starts. He got into jam in the first inning before getting Elias Díaz to strike out looking, and the left-hander also fanned Garrett Hampson looking to end the fourth with a runner on second after the Rockies scored an unearned run.
Wood allowed seven hits and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings while throwing 104 pitches – more than he threw in any game last season.
“It felt really good to hit that mark,” Wood said. “My slider is usually a good groundball pitch for me typically and to be heater dominant and changeup dominant and have that many groundball outs and not allow extra-base hits was really nice.”
Yonathan Daza singled, doubled and tripled for the Rockies. C.J. Cron and José Iglesias each had two hits.
The Giants have had 10 or more hits in every game of their winning streak against Colorado but led 3-0 with help from the Rockies defense.
With the bases loaded, Luis González hit a chopper over the head of pitcher Antonio Senzatela that Iglesias bobbled behind the mound as Joc Pederson scored. Batting ninth, Casali followed with an RBI single to right, and a second run scored when Charlie Blackmon failed to field the ball cleanly.
“It hasn’t been the best start to the year offensively for me but I feel like lately I’ve been putting together better at-bats, working some walks, kind of getting back to what I normally do,” Casali said. “Especially at a nine hole, it shouldn’t be just a black hole down there. I’m trying like heck to flip the lineup. Today I was able to do that.”
The Giants had their own defensive issues.
González ran to pick up Daza’s double to left in the fourth, but the ball kicked off his glove for an error, allowing Ryan McGregor to score.
Senzatela (2-2) allowed five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
After Belt’s double in the fourth made it 5-1, pinch-hitter Austin Slater and Casali drew bases-loaded walks in San Francisco’s three-run fifth.
THE OUT GOES 4-9-6
The second inning could have been worse for Colorado had it not been for a heads-up throw by Blackmon that resulted in a unique 4-9-6 out at second base. With two runners on, LaMonte Wade Jr. lined one that deflected off the glove of leaping second baseman Hampson into right field.
Casali, who was on first base, hesitated and took a step back toward first, slipped, then turned and ran the other way, giving Blackmon enough time to field the ball and fire a perfect throw to shortstop Iglesias, who had raced over to cover second.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: Belt had been dealing with a stiff neck and was a late scratch Monday. … Wilmer Flores is day to day after being scratched because of lower back tightness. Mauricio Dubón started at third base in Flores’ absence.
UP NEXT
Colorado’s Chad Kuhl (3-0, 1.82 ERA) has allowed one run or fewer in four of his five starts this season. The right-hander is winless in three career starts against the Giants. San Francisco RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 4.80) hasn’t won since his first start of the season on April 12.
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