Field Level Media
Aug 14, 2021
Wilmer Flores hit a three-run home run and Austin Slater scored after two of his three hits Friday as the host San Francisco Giants made it a season-best six wins in a row with a front-running, 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (11-5), reinstated from the injured list earlier in the day, worked five strong innings, helping the National League West-leading Giants add to a winning streak that is their longest since a seven-gamer last August.
Connor Joe smacked a two-run home run in the ninth inning while C.J. Cron collected two doubles and a single for the Rockies, who dropped their fourth straight.
The Giants wasted no time getting to Colorado starter Austin Gomber (9-7) for four runs in the first inning, triggered by a fourth-pitch double by Slater, the leadoff man.
A one-out walk to Buster Posey set the stage for Flores, whose two-out blast was his 15th long ball of the season.
Flores' first homer since Aug. 2 allowed him to become the sixth Giant with 15 or more home runs this season. San Francisco leads the majors in homers (176).
The Giants weren't done in the first. They added a fourth run on a walk to Donovan Solano and consecutive singles by Mike Yastrzemski and Thairo Estrada.
Gomber squeezed home a Rockies run in the top of the second, but the Giants re-established their four-run cushion in the bottom of the inning when Slater again doubled and this time scored on a Darin Ruf two-out single.
Cron made it 5-2 in the third with an RBI single, but the Rockies were shut out on just three hits for the next five innings before making things interesting in the ninth.
After pinch hitter Yonathan Daza singled off Giants closer Jake McGee with one out, Joe lined his sixth homer of the season over the wall in left field, closing Colorado within 5-4.
Brendan Rodgers kept the Rockies alive with a single off the right field wall with two outs, and the Giants survived a video review on a would-be home run by Charlie Blackmon that was deemed to be just foul.
Blackmon later singled, prompting the Giants to pull the left-handed McGee in favor of righty Zack Littell, who struck out Cron for his second save of the year.
DeSclafani, who had been sidelined for 10 days due to right shoulder fatigue, was pulled after throwing 82 pitches. He allowed two runs and five hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Gomber lasted just four innings, charged with five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two.
Flores finished with two hits for the Giants, as did Kris Bryant.
Rodgers and Blackmon had two hits apiece for Colorado.
--Field Level Media