Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | July 21, 2024
The Rockies offense simply could not solve San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong.
San Francisco v Colorado Game Recap
Game Story
The Giants, looking to avoid being swept by the Rockies, jumpstarted their offense right away on Sunday. Leadoff hitter Jorge Soler crushed a ball 478 feet to center field, giving San Francisco an instant 1-0 lead. The 478-foot shot by Soler marked the longest big fly in Major League Baseball this season.
In the third, the Giants added a run on Tyler Fitzgerald‘s fourth homer of the season. His second blast in the series was a solo shot, stretching San Francisco’s lead to 2-0.
The Giants plated a third run in the fourth, utilizing a two-out rally to do so. After Rockies starter Ryan Feltner sat down the first two hitters of the inning with ease, Matt Chapman singled and advanced to third on a Mike Yastrzemski base hit. Then, a passed ball proved costly, as Chapman scored to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.
The Rockies finally broke through on the scoreboard – and the hit column – in the fourth. Giants starter Hayden Birdsong had coasted through the first three innings, allowing just one free pass. In the fourth, Birdsong issued a one-out walk to Ryan McMahon, and with two outs, Brendan Rodgers lined his seventh homer of the season just over the left field wall for a two-run shot. The blast cut the Giants lead to 3-2.
The rest of the way, pitching dominated the game for both sides.
Hayden Birdsong stymied the Rockies, striking out 12 hitters in six innings. He allowed just two earned runs on two hits and two walks.
Colorado benefitted from a fantastic start by Ryan Feltner. He tossed seven innings, yielding three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk. He struck out six.
Even after the Rockies chased Birdsong from the game, the Giants bullpen kept the Colorado offense at bay the rest of the way. Relievers Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval each allowed baserunners in the 7th, 8th, and 9th, respectively, but the Rockies couldn’t scratch anything across.
Despite the 3-2 defeat on Sunday, the Rockies still won the series by virtue of their victories on Friday and Saturday.
Quotes
Manager Bud Black on Ryan Feltner’s start: “It’s always great when you start and go seven innings. We’ll take that every day of the week… In this day and age, seven innings is gold… I thought he got stronger as the game went on. That was good to see.”
Ryan Feltner on his strong July: “I think everything has been consistent. All my pitches in the zone. I trust all of them right now, and there’s no pitch that I don’t feel like I can go to in any situation. So, just having all my options available and being willing to throw anything at any time.”
Notes
In just his 5th career start, Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong struck out a career-high 12 hitters. He becomes the third rookie this season with 12+ K’s in a start.
Entering the game, the Rockies’ 42 home runs since June 20 led the Majors.
What’s Next for the Colorado Rockies?
On Monday, the Rockies continue their six-game homestand as they welcome the Boston Red Sox to Coors Field for a three-game series. In the series opener, probable starters are RHP Tanner Houck (8-6, 2.54 ERA) for Boston and LHP Austin Gomber (2-6, 4.61 ERA) for Colorado.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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