SAN FRANCISCO -- Mark Buehrle entered the day holding the major league record with 45 consecutive outs recorded. In the third inning of the Giants' 4-1 win over the Rockies, Yusmeiro Petit moved into a tie with Buehrle.
With his strikeout of Charlie Culberson, Petit grabbed the record all for himself.
More importantly for the Giants, Petit proved a more than suitable replacement for Tim Lincecum. That was the difference on yet another day where the team's offense struggled to take advantage of opportunities with runners on base.
It all led to a much-needed series triumph against a Rockies team that went into Tuesday's game with a four-game winning streak at AT&T Park.
[RELATED: Anatomy of an MLB record: How Petit made history]
Starting Pitching Report
Petit had retired the last 38 batters he faced over a span of seven relief outings before today's game, and he was perfect through the first eight today. However, his response after the streak was snapped may have been more impressive.
After getting Charlie Culberson to fish at a curveball in the dirt, catcher Andrew Susac retrieved the ball and threw it to first baseman Buster Posey.
As the crowd realized what had occurred, and the achievement was shown on the scoreboard, Petit received his loudest ovation since taking a perfect game into the ninth inning last September. Instead of soaking in the moment, Petit stepped back on the rubber and got back to work.
Two pitches later, Rockies starter Jordan Lyles knocked a fastball into the left field corner for a double, and Charlie Blackmon drove in Lyles with a single. It looked like Petit might suffer a letdown after such an historic moment, but that was far from the case.
Petit would hold the Rockies to just two hits over the next 3 1/3 innings, striking out nine without walking a batter.
[RATTO: Petit aims to be more than drink-winning bar trivia answer]
Bullpen report
Petit's quality start kept Tim Lincecum in the dugout.
Jean Machi came out for the seventh inning and faced the minimum, getting Brandon Barnes to ground into a double play to end the inning after walking Corey Dickerson.
Sergio Romo pitched the eighth inning, with Santiago Casilla handling the ninth a day after blowing a save chance. Both pitchers walked the leadoff hitter before retiring the next three batters they faced. Casilla earned his 12th save of the season.
At the plate
Gregor Blanco gave the Giants a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the second inning. It was his first homer at AT&T Park since a two-run shot on June 13, 2012 that scored Matt Cain. That was Cain's perfect game, by the way.
Angel Pagan led the Giants with three hits, but he only scored one run. That was telling in a game where the Giants continued to leave runners on base at a high clip. They went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position today and 6-for-26 with RISP for the series.
Hunter Pence did come through with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Susac drove Pablo Sandoval in with a single to add an insurance run in the eighth.
In the field
Susac fired a strike to second base to catch Nolan Arenado stealing in the fourth. Considering how he kept his cool behind the plate with Petit going after a major league record, that's enough to make him the defensive star of today's game. Neither team made an error.
Attendance
41,017 was the paid crowd today. Yes, the Giants announced it was their 314th straight sellout.
Up next
The Giants face a tough test this weekend, as the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers visit AT&T Park for a three-game series. San Francisco will face three right-handed starters, with Wily Peralta (15-8, 3.56 ERA) and Ryan Vogelsong (7-9, 3.78) battling on Friday night. Mike Fiers (4-1, 1.54) will start opposite Jake Peavy (3-13, 4.34) at 6:05 pm on Saturday. Sunday afternoon will pit Kyle Lohse (12-7, 3.42) against Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 3.02).
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