The Colorado Rockies spent most of Friday night creating chances without cashing them in.
They finally broke through in the ninth.
Kyle Karros delivered a go-ahead, two-run single, Cole Carrigg added a sacrifice fly, and Juan Mejia needed one pitch in the bottom of the ninth to strand the bases loaded and secure a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
Colorado improved to 39-57. San Francisco fell to 39-55.
The Rockies loaded the bases with nobody out in both the sixth and ninth innings.
They came away empty in the sixth, but scored three times in the ninth before nearly giving the lead back.
Gordon and the defense limit the damage
Tanner Gordon allowed one run on eight hits over five innings. He walked one, struck out one and threw 81 pitches, 54 for strikes.
It was not a dominant outing. Gordon generated only three whiffs on 35 swings, and his velocity was down across the arsenal. His four-seam fastball averaged 90.7 mph, more than two mph below his season average.
The movement was better. Each of Gordon’s five pitches showed more induced vertical movement than its season norm.
He also used a balanced mix. Gordon threw 20 changeups, 19 sinkers, 19 sliders, 19 four-seamers and four curveballs. Against right-handed hitters, the four-seamer remained his primary pitch at 36%.
Rafael Devers opened the second inning by lifting a 79.7 mph curveball over the right-field wall for his 19th home run and a 1-0 Giants lead.
Gordon then worked through several threats with help from the defense.
In the third, Luis Arraez singled and Casey Schmitt reached on an infield hit. An Ezequiel Tovar throwing error moved both runners into scoring position, and the Rockies intentionally walked Devers to load the bases.
Gordon recovered to get Willy Adames to fly out to Tyler Freeman in right.
The Giants threatened again in the fourth. Drew Gilbert doubled and Drew Cavanaugh singled, putting runners at the corners with two outs.
Heliot Ramos then lined a 103.6 mph ball toward first, but TJ Rumfield made the catch to end the inning.
Cole Carrigg made the biggest defensive play of Gordon’s final inning.
Arraez opened the fifth with a single before Schmitt drove a fly ball deep to center. Carrigg made the catch, got behind the ball and threw Arraez out at second. The Giants challenged, but the call stood.
Devers followed with a 109 mph single to right, but Gordon retired Adames on a groundout to finish five innings with the game tied.
Ray keeps Colorado from building innings
Robbie Ray allowed one run on four hits across five innings. He walked six, struck out four and threw 100 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Ray was effective despite inconsistent command. He threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of 23 hitters and put only 35% of his pitches in the zone.
Colorado hit eight of its 13 balls in play against Ray at 95 mph or harder, but most of that contact did not lead to runs.
Ray also continued to de-emphasize his four-seam fastball. He threw it only 15% of the time, compared with a 37% season rate. His sinker led the mix at 33%, followed by the knuckle curve and slider at 20% each.
Kyle Karros recorded Colorado’s first hit in the third, extending his on-base streak to 18 games. Jake McCarthy advanced from first to third, but Carrigg struck out to leave runners at the corners.
Hunter Goodman walked to begin the fourth but was caught stealing. Rumfield followed with a 102.7 mph single before Freeman grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Colorado tied the game with two outs in the fifth.
Tovar lined his 17th double of the season to left at 105.1 mph. McCarthy then drove a 2-0 sinker into right field for his 18th double, scoring Tovar.
It was McCarthy’s 52nd RBI and Colorado’s first hit in four chances with runners in scoring position.
Rockies waste a bases-loaded chance
Colorado forced Ray from the game in the sixth.
Carrigg, Goodman and Rumfield drew consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out. San Francisco brought in Dylan Smith.
Smith escaped on 15 pitches.
Freeman popped out on the infield-fly rule, Willi Castro struck out and Mickey Moniak grounded out.
Brennan Bernardino kept the game tied in the bottom half. He walked Bryce Eldridge, then got Jung Hoo Lee to line out before Gilbert grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
The Rockies missed another opportunity in the seventh. Karros singled with two outs, but Sam Hentges struck out Carrigg to end the inning.
Devers puts the Giants back in front
Jimmy Herget retired the first two hitters in the seventh before San Francisco started another rally.
Arraez singled and stole second. Schmitt walked, and a passed ball charged to Goodman moved Arraez to third.
Devers then drove a 91.3 mph sinker through the right side at 106.8 mph, scoring Arraez and giving San Francisco a 2-1 lead.
Antonio Senzatela worked a clean eighth inning, striking out Eldridge before retiring Lee and Gilbert on ground balls.
Rockies score three in the ninth
The Rockies entered Friday ranked third in MLB with an .837 OPS in the ninth inning.
Their late offense showed up again.
Moniak opened the ninth with a single against Caleb Kilian. Troy Johnston pinch-hit for Tovar and drew a walk.
McCarthy then executed an obvious bunt situation perfectly. He pulled the bat back on the first two pitches, then placed a bunt down the third-base line and beat it out for a single.
That loaded the bases with nobody out.
Karros followed with the decisive hit. He fought through a six-pitch at-bat and punched a broken-bat single through the middle, scoring Moniak and Johnston for a 3-2 lead.
San Francisco replaced Kilian with Erik Miller.
Carrigg initially showed bunt, worked the count to 3-1 and then lifted a fly ball to left. McCarthy scored easily, extending the lead to 4-2.
Goodman added a single before Edouard Julien grounded into a forceout and Freeman struck out looking.
Mejia gets the final out
Jordan Romano entered for the bottom of the ninth with a two-run lead but could not finish the game.
He walked Cavanaugh before Eric Haase entered as a pinch-runner. Grant McCray grounded into a forceout, then stole second. Romano walked Arraez, putting two runners aboard with one out.
Schmitt then hit a 102.7 mph sinking liner to center. Carrigg charged and made a diving attempt, but replay showed the ball barely touched the ground before rolling into his glove.
The call was overturned, but not without some weirdness. Schmitt was credited with a single, and the runners were placed at third, second and first.
Devers followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring McCray and cutting the lead to 4-3.
Romano then walked Adames to reload the bases.
Warren Schaeffer brought in Mejia with two outs.
Mejia threw one pitch. Eldridge grounded to Julien at second, who threw to Johnston at first to end the game.
Final notes
Colorado finished 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. San Francisco went 3-for-8.
Each team recorded one two-out RBI. McCarthy drove in Colorado’s run in the fifth, while Devers delivered San Francisco’s go-ahead single in the seventh.
The Rockies stranded 11 runners. The Giants left 12 aboard. Colorado drew seven walks and struck out nine times. San Francisco walked six times and struck out three.
Karros led the Rockies by going 3-for-5 with two RBI. His third hit drove in the winning runs.
McCarthy went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, one RBI and two runs. He tied the game in the fifth and loaded the bases in the ninth with his bunt single.
Rumfield reached in all four plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two walks. He also made a key defensive play on Ramos’ liner in the fourth.
Carrigg went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, but he contributed several important defensive plays and drove in Colorado’s final run with a sacrifice fly.
Devers accounted for all three Giants runs. He finished 3-for-3 with a home run, an RBI single, a sacrifice fly, a walk and three RBI.
Senzatela earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning, improving to 9-1 with a 3.00 ERA.
Kilian took the loss after allowing three runs without recording an out in the ninth. He fell to 2-5 with a 4.74 ERA.
Mejia earned his fourth save.
Up next
The Rockies and Giants continue their series Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park.
Colorado will send left-hander Kyle Freeland to the mound. Freeland enters at 2-7 with a 7.46 ERA and 70 strikeouts.
San Francisco will counter with right-hander Tyler Mahle, who is 1-8 with a 5.70 ERA and 69 strikeouts.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. MDT.
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