Rockies fall short in finale of disappointing SF series
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Rockies’ Ryan McMahon looked over his right shoulder while giving a disenchanted shrug toward the third-base bag after yet another misfortune at Oracle Park on Sunday.
With the Rockies trailing by a run and runners at first and second and two out in the sixth, McMahon charged to field Tyler Fitzgerald’s bouncer and tagged Derek Hill, who was sliding right in front of him. Plays like that don’t go right, however, when a team is headed for its 12th straight loss in a ballpark.
Hill’s slide jarred the ball out of McMahon’s glove. And in a par-for-the-course moment when the Rockies face the Giants by The Bay, Matt Chapman delivered a two-run single that led the Giants to a 5-4 victory and a four-game sweep.
“Just unlucky, man -- he dove, put a lot of force into my glove,” McMahon said. “We’ve got to stop hurting ourselves. I’ve got to find a way to hold the ball tighter, or maybe go to two hands.
“They’re a really good team when they play here. You can’t give them extra chances.”
The weekend was a downer for a Rockies team that came out of the All-Star break with series wins at home vs. the Giants and the Red Sox -- and scored 20 runs in Wednesday’s finale against Boston. But the Rockies leave San Francisco with concerns, but also with some building blocks going to Anaheim for a series that starts Tuesday -- the day of the Trade Deadline.
Let’s review:
Put the ball in play: In being swept in Saturday’s doubleheader, the Rockies struck out 30 times -- one fewer than the record (since at least 1906) for a twin bill.
They fanned 11 times on Sunday.
When McMahon drew a walk from Spencer Bivens to load the bases with two out in the eighth, Brendan Rodgers put one in play, but for the final out. And Sam Hilliard struck out against Camillo Doval for the second out with the tying run at second in the ninth.
“Coming off the homestand, especially the 20-run game on Wednesday, with a lot of confidence, we just didn’t hit and didn’t hit enough,” manager Bud Black said.
Some hitting is happening: Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar keeps sizzling. His second-inning double extended his hit streak to 15 games, and he was 3-for-5 to bring his season average to .287. Tovar grounded out to end the game, but as Black noted, “right man, right spot … He’s in a good spot.”
Also, first baseman Michael Toglia homered in the seventh to make it a two-run game, and put himself in the club homer lead with 18. Toglia went deep twice in the series, and has 12 road homers this season. Toglia also singled and scored on Jacob Stallings’ fielder’s choice grounder during a ninth-inning rally that landed short.
After a 2-for-32 stretch over 14 games, rookie Hunter Goodman entered as a reserve in the fourth and went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Why Goodman entered at all was problematic: There were no outward signs of an injury, but center fielder Brenton Doyle -- a candidate for National League Player of the Month -- left after the second inning with a right index finger contusion. It resulted from frustration after his first-inning strikeout.
“I always keep my glove and stuff near the training kit in the dugout,” Doyle said. “After my strikeout, out of frustration, I meant to just throw the towel against the bench. I was a little too close to the training kit and nipped my finger. It was a pretty good contusion, to the point where I didn’t want it to get worse.”
Radar gone wild: Lefty Austin Gomber labored -- 85 pitches in 3 2/3 innings, with three runs against, plus six hits and six strikeouts. With the Trade Deadline looming Tuesday, his removal for Noah Davis raised eyebrows. But the move was strategic, although Davis yielded two unearned runs and five hits in two innings.
Gomber acknowledged he made mistakes with pitch selection, which drove up his count.
“I would’ve loved to have kept going,” he said. “But I guess if you don’t like it, pitch better, right? Don’t be in a position where you’re at 85 pitches in the fourth. I thought I made a couple of mistakes but other than that I thought I threw the ball well.”