Rookie Dereck Rodriguez continues to receive little to no support from his offense.
Rookie Dereck Rodriguez continues to receive little to no support from his offense, turning the tables of the Giants first two of a weekend series with the Rockies.
Even though Rodriguez (L, 6-4, 2.30 ERA) allowed just three runs (one earned) on five hits over six innings, a Giants offense that has managed three runs or less in 13 of the last 14 games couldn’t pick up the slack.
Rodriguez doesn’t care about how many runs are scored in his favor, he is worried about keeping his opponent off the board:
“I just go out there and throw the best game I can, regardless of what’s happening offensively. I know what I can control, and that’s the pitching part. That’s the part I try to dominate in and the rest, let it take care of itself.”
The Rockies (82-67) finally ended their 19-inning scoreless streak in the second inning courtesy of the least likely candidate — starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela.
Senzatela (W, 5-6, 4.81 ERA) smacked a two-run single to left with the bases loaded in the second inning. Center fielder Charlie Blackmon then walked to load the bases again, and second baseman DJ Lemahieu brought in the third run with a sac fly.
Rodriguez proceeded to set down the next nine batters he faced before working out of a third bases-loaded jam in the sixth, this time striking out Senzatela to close the inning unscathed.
Manager Bruce Bochy has been impressed by his young hurler since he was called up in late May:
“I can’t say enough about this kid’s make up. He goes out there every game and gives us a great start. He doesn’t get concern with the run support. He just competes so well.”
The bullpen picked up where their starter left off, keeping the Rockies off the board from the fourth inning onward, which allowed San Francisco’s offense to chip away at the lead.
Joe Panik did his best to keep San Francisco close, reaching base three times and scoring both Giants runs in the sixth and eighth. Austin Slater also remained productive, driving in his fourth run of the series in the eighth off of setup man Adam Ottavino.
Wade Davis (S, 40, 4.48 ERA) put the finishing touches on the afternoon, securing the first 40-save season of his career.
One bright spot for the Giants (70-80) was Chris Shaw. The rookie picked up his first career multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a RBI.
Bochy reiterated prior to Sunday’s game that he wants Shaw to trust his abilities:
“At this point, right now, I really want him to be himself. Don’t try to be too patient. Now you get caught where you’re letting good pitches go by. If you chase a pitch, so be it. I want him to keep his aggressiveness. He just needs at-bats.”
Shaw said he’s not worried about the rough start to his Major League career, which saw him enter Sunday with one hit in 22 at-bats:
“I’ve gone 7-for-80 before. I don’t really sweat this type of stuff. It’s such a small sample size. I’m just happy to be able to get my feet wet.”
The Giants begin their final road trip of the season on Monday in San Diego. Rookie Andrew Suárez (6-11, 4.33 ERA) will attempt to outduel Bryan Mitchell (1-3, 6.07 ERA).
Despite taking the loss, Rodriguez posted his 14th quality start out of 17 total starts. His QS percentage of 82.3 is third-best in the Majors behind the Nationals’ Max Scherzer (83.8%) and the Mets’ Jacob deGrom (86.2%).
For Breida, the afternoon got off to a very early start.
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