Giants squander late lead, drop opener to Rox

DENVER -- Seeing either Madison Bumgarner or Brandon Crawford endure misfortune is tough enough to take for the Giants. Weathering lapses by both stalwarts, and in the same inning no less, is virtually impossible, as San Francisco's 5-2 loss to the Rockies on Monday demonstrated.
The Giants nursed a 2-0 lead into the seventh, when Colorado scored three runs. The reversal began with Bumgarner yielding three soft singles to load the bases with nobody out. The inning included Crawford, the National League's likely All-Star Game starter at shortstop and winner of the last three Gold Glove Awards, committing a throwing error that scored the Rockies' final run of the frame.
Bumgarner's 22-inning scoreless streak ended, along with San Francisco's three-game winning streak. The left-hander plainly stated which item concerned him most.
"I don't give two [expletives] about any kind of streak," Bumgarner said. "It's about winning games while we're out there. That was a tough loss. Everything was going our way early on and didn't go our way late."

In fact, none of the Rockies' runs in their big seventh crossed home plate as the result of a hit.
Pinch-hitter Pat Valaika and DJ LeMahieu singled to open the inning. So did Charlie Blackmon, who got jammed and beat out a roller to the left side for an infield single that loaded the bases.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy removed Bumgarner, who threw 61 strikes in 89 pitches, for Reyes Moronta. Though Bumgarner's shutout remained intact, the switch prompted no second-guessing. On an evening when the first-pitch temperature was 92 degrees, Bumgarner had done enough.

"I think I know Bum pretty well by now," Bochy said.
Moronta had retired all but one of the previous 18 hitters he faced. But his luck didn't last as he walked Nolan Arenado to force in a run. LeMahieu scored while Trevor Story grounded into a double play. Blackmon advanced to third. Then Ian Desmond slapped a grounder to Crawford, who threw high and wide to first base. First baseman Brandon Belt tried to keep his foot on the bag to preserve a chance for the inning-ending out but couldn't, enabling Blackmon to score the go-ahead run.
Crawford denied that the ball slipped out of his hands, though he admitted that he didn't unleash his throw with full force.

"It cut," he said. "I didn't throw it 100 percent. I gave it about an 80 percent throw."
SOUND SMART
Buster Posey doubled home a third-inning run to increase his career RBI total against Colorado to 94, fifth-most among active players.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Colorado experienced a prolonged second-inning rally when a force-out call at second base on Story was overturned after a replay review. That loaded the bases with two outs before Bumgarner coaxed a harmless foul flyout from Chris Iannetta.

UP NEXT
Chris Stratton will test his 4-3 road record at Coors Field on Tuesday in the Giants' 5:10 p.m. PT game against the Rockies. The right-hander owns a 3.00 ERA in his last three road outings, spanning 18 innings. Stratton will oppose Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela.