'Some good happened': Cave comes up clutch in series opener

DENVER -- Jake Cave came up clutch Friday, increasingly familiar territory for the first-year Rockie. He entered the series opener against the Giants as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and quickly changed the game with a leadoff double, ultimately coming around to score the tying run.

An inning later, Cave clouted a 410-foot three-run shot to right field off submariner Tyler Rogers to put the Rockies ahead for the first time in the game, setting up a 7-3 victory to start the second half.

"When I get up there, second and third, I just want to put something in fair territory,” Cave said. “I know the guy’s real tough. I want to get my eyes on where he's throwing the ball from and preferably get something in the grass to get these runs in. The at-bat went long enough that I started to feel a little comfier. I saw a slider a couple times, a heater a couple of times. I just wanted to see a pitch in a spot where I can get a good swing off, try to get on the barrel somehow, and some good happened.”

It’s been a big month for Cave, who had his first career walk-off on July 1 and hit his first home run of the year on July 4.

“I think it's the first time that I've come in and hit a big home run to give us a three-run lead like that late in the game," he said. “There's an awesome feeling. Those are the things you think about all the time, and you want to put yourself in the best spot to succeed in those situations.”

Used as a defensive replacement early in the season, Cave is hitting .304 (24-for-79) over his last 29 games and has proved even more valuable to the club than they anticipated.

“There's an energy to Jake, there's a focus, there's intensity, there's a competitor,” manager Bud Black said. "He fits on our team. And the most important thing, he's playing well, he's a contributor.”

Cave has been solid in the clutch, hitting .444 (4-for-9) as a pinch-hitter with two doubles and a triple.

“It's more mental than anything,” Cave said of his success off the bench. “All day, every day, I'm working on my swing. Sometimes, when you’re called on late in the game, the nerves can take over a little bit. I've tried to calm that down. My job is to put a good at-bat on the pitcher. I could drive a ball in the gap right now and help the team out. I could get on base and help the team out. I can have a long at-bat and help the team. There’s different ways you got to think about it.”

Brenton Doyle picked up where he left off last weekend, homering in the seventh in his first game since the All-Star break, his fifth home run in his last seven games played. He had the Rockies’ only two hits through the first six innings.

Rockies starting pitcher Cal Quantrill bounced back from a couple of turbulent innings to record a quality start, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings. He gave up a two-out double to Matt Chapman, walked Mike Yastrzemski, then yielded a bases-clearing triple to left to Thairo Estrada. Quantrill threw 68 pitches through the first four innings and 100 over six innings.

“I thought I threw the ball pretty well the whole game,” Quantrill said. “Some tough runs early. It happens. I just did a better job late of getting the kind of weak contact we were hoping for after pressing maybe a little bit too hard early. I was happy with how [Elias] Díaz called the game and kept them on their toes, and we actually settled into a better groove towards the end of the [outing.]”

Kyle Harrison blanked Colorado for his five innings on the hill, extending a seven-inning scoreless streak from his last start at Coors Field on May 7 and becoming the first visiting starter to have multiple scoreless starts of five or more innings in a single season at Coors Field.

Ezequiel Tovar homered for an insurance run in the eighth, giving him consecutive games with homers and Victor Vodnik pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win.