Ryan Vogelsong had his shortest start in four years as a Giant, giving up three home runs in 1 1/3 innings as the Colorado Rockies coasted to an 8-2 victory at Coors Field Monday night.
Nolan Arenado, Wilin Rosario and Charlie Blackmon took Vogelsong deep as he failed to complete two innings for the first time in 82 starts as a Giant.
Blackmon added a solo shot in the eighth as the Rockies hit five home runs – one away from matching the most the Giants have allowed in a game in the San Francisco era.
Giants long man David Huff only lasted one batter because he strained his quadriceps in the top of the third while beating out his first major league hit. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Giants made a roster move to be prepared in case they need to cover innings behind Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday.
Starting pitching report
Those mechanical adjustments that Vogelsong (0-1) made in his last outing didn’t hold up, and Coors Field is a very, very bad place to leave pitches at the belt. Vogelsong didn’t miss bats, didn’t have put-away stuff and the Rockies made him pay while hitting three home runs off him in 1 1/3 innings.
Vogelsong faced 14 batters and retired just four of them. Arenado and Rosario hit home runs in the first inning and leadoff man Blackmon, who isn’t known for his power, reached the second deck to start the second inning.
The turning point came in between those two first-inning blasts, when Justin Morneau worked Vogelsong for an 11-pitch at-bat that ended with a two-out double on a slider that did not appear to be an egregious mistake. Rosario, who got a prime view of everything in Vogelsong’s quiver from the on-deck circle, received a chance to hit and followed with his three-run shot on a cutter.
It’s becoming an SAT analogy: Rosario is to Vogelsong as Lincecum is to Goldschmidt. Rosario is 4 for 12 with three home runs off Vogelsong.
Bullpen report
David Huff relieved Vogelsong and got a double-play grounder from Morneau. Then Huff got his first big league plate appearance since 2010, along with his first hit when he beat out an infield single.
It came at a price, though. He strained his left quadriceps while running down the line, and had to come out of the game after the inning. Yusmeiro Petit replaced him and gave up a two-run home run to Corey Dickerson but otherwise stabilized the game over his four innings.
Jean Machi and Juan Gutierrez went the rest of the way.
At the plate
Despite mustering just five hits, the Giants put together two tremendously promising rallies – and then killed them with double plays. They loaded the bases with no outs in the third before Jorge De La Rosa threw a 2-0 pitch on Buster Posey’s hands and it shattered his bat on a double-play grounder.
They got the first two hitters aboard in the fourth before Brandon Hicks bounced into two.
The Giants’ frustration in the late innings turned to the strike zone. Several players shook their heads as plate umpire John Tumpane rang them up; Angel Pagan’s reaction was a bit more animated, resulting in his ejection in the seventh.
In addition to Posey’s double-play grounder, the Giants’ other run came when Brandon Belt scored on a two-out throwing error in the ninth.
In field
Somebody in the second deck sure didn’t expect to get a Charlie Blackmon home run ball when they bought their ticket.
Up next
The Giants and Rockies continue their three-game series at Coors Field on Tuesday. Madison Bumgarner (2-1, 3.48) faces Rockies left-hander Franklin Morales (1-1, 4.82).
