On a day that began with manager Bob Melvin being ejected during the lineup exchange prior to first pitch, the Giants got an outstanding start from rookie Hayden Birdsong while Jorge Soler and Tyler Fitzgerald provided all the power in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
The win, only San Francisco’s fourth in the last nine games, prevented the Giants from being swept by the Rockies for the first time since 2018.
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Birdsong, who seems to be solidifying his spot in the rotation every time he goes out, set the tone in this one. The right-hander retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced and was dynamic throughout.
The Giants provided just enough offense to make it hold up.
Soler hit an absolute bomb leading off the game and Fitzgerald added his own solo shot in the third inning, marking the third consecutive game that the young infielder has gone deep.
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Mike Yastrzemski also collected the 500th hit of his career, making for an all-around good day for the Orange and Black.
The Rockies got the tying run on base in the eighth against Tyler Rogers when Giants second baseman Brett Wisely made a fielding error on Aaron Schunk’s leadoff ground ball. Wisely quickly made up for it, turning a 4-6-3 double play on Charlie Blackmon. Brenton Doyle followed with a two-out single before Rogers got Ryan McMahon to ground out.
In the ninth, Colorado’s Jake Cave drew a two-out walk off Camilo Doval then stole second before the Giants closer got Jacob Stallings to ground out to secure his 18th save.
Now it’s on to Los Angeles for a four-game series against the division-leading Dodgers.
Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s game:.
Melvin Gone Before First Pitch
Melvin was ejected from a game for the fourth time this season, although this one happened before the game got started.
Frustrated by some of the umpiring done in the first two games of the series, Melvin might have been airing some of his grievances to the crew during the line-up exchange when he got nonchalantly tossed.
If it was done intentionally in an effort to spark something out of the Giants, it apparently worked. Soler’s leadoff home run was the first by Melvin’s ballclub since Jung Hoo Lee did it against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 20.
Serious Soler Power
Soler clearly is comfortable hitting in the high altitudes of Colorado, having homered in four of his last six games at Coors Field.
This one was majestic.
Soler absolutely demolished a 2-1 pitch from Rockies starter Ryan Feltner and sent it deep over the wall in center field. The home run was estimated at 478 feet, the longest of the season in the major leagues, according to Statcast.
It was the type of power that the Giants were hoping for when they signed Soler as a free agent in the offseason. And after sputtering for much of the season, the Cuban slugger appears to be rounding into form. Ten of his last 14 hits since June 29 have gone for extra bases.
Birdsong Spins A Gem
Birdsong put up an outing that was as good as any by a Giants starting pitcher this season.
The 22-year-old rookie set career highs for strikeouts (12), innings pitched (6) and pitches (98) while allowing only two hits for the second consecutive start.
Relying a lot on his off-speed pitches, Birdsong had the Rockies whiffing at the plate for most of the afternoon, getting an eye-popping 27 swing-and-misses – the most by a Giants pitcher this season.
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