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Reporting from Oracle Park
Casey Schmitt’s 19th home run of the season in the sixth inning propelled the Giants to a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on a postcard sunny Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park.
Tyler Mahle got the start for the Giants and faced a two-out rally in the first inning after a Hunter Goodman double was followed by a walk to TJ Rumfield on four straight pitches. But Mahle got out of it following a grounder to Schmitt, which came off the bat of Kyle Karros.
It was Mahle’s second straight start against Colorado, having faced them last Sunday at Coors Field. He was pulled in the fifth inning after allowing four runs on eight hits and the Giants ended up losing 7-6. He entered Saturday with a 1-8 record and a 5.70 ERA.
The Rockies countered with Kyle Freeland, who has seen better days on the mound. Freeland came into the game with a 2-7 record and a 7.46 ERA.
Despite not facing San Francisco for nearly two years, Freeland is no stranger to pitching against the Giants. Saturday marked his 29th appearance against San Francisco, carrying an 8-9 record with a 4.35 ERA.
Freeland got some defensive help from Karros in the second inning, as he dove to his left on a slow ground ball off the bat of Willy Adames, keeping the basepaths empty.
A strange top half of the third saw the Rockies grab a 1-0 lead thanks to a balk from Mahle. It was discussed by the umpiring crew and Giants manager Tony Vitello spoke with home plate umpire Lance Barksdale about the play. After heading back to the dugout, Mickey Moniak, still at the plate, struck out swinging, however the count was wrong.
Moniak, with new life, singled into center field. Vitello emerged again from his dugout and it led to him being ejected by Barksdale, his second of the season.
Vitello said postgame:
“It was a debate that was never gonna end.”
The Giants didn’t get their first hit until the fourth inning, a single from Luis Arraez. Their bats stayed quiet and more barking at the umpires would persist as Schmitt contested a third strike check-swing with first base umpire William Traynor.
In his first start since returning from Sacramento, catcher Jesus Rodriguez would find the breakthrough for San Francisco in the fifth inning, scoring Bryce Eldridge from second on a liner that split the left and center fielders.
Vitello enjoyed Rodriguez getting that hit but also praised his defensive work Saturday afternoon, calling his stability behind the plate “outstanding”:
“You like when a catcher gives you a sense of comfort back there… it kinda goes unnoticed after a couple hitters, you almost forget who’s back there because everything has a rhythm and it’s pretty fluid.”
With Freeland still pitching, a hit-and-run from Heilot Ramos and Arraez would set up the Giants in the sixth. Schmitt would go on to launch a 415-foot home run into left field, giving them their first lead of the day.
Now pitching with a 4-1 lead, Mahle continued to cruise against the Rockies lineup, ending his outing with two straight strikeouts. It was his first start to go seven innings since April 22nd, where he held the Los Angeles Dodgers scoreless.
Mahle said:
“In every game, I go in confident and [hope to] pitch well but it just hasn’t been happening.”
Mahle lowered his home ERA to 3.00 and it was his first time eclipsing 100 pitches (104) since July 2, 2022.
Karros would continue a solid game as he got one back for the Rockies in the eighth inning with his ninth home run of the season.
Despite allowing the home run, JT Brubaker would finish the game with a two-inning performance and earn the first save of his career.
With the win, the Giants improve to 40-55 while the Rockies drop to 39-58.
Up Next
The Giants close out their four-game series against Colorado on Sunday. Michael Lorenzen will face off against Trevor McDonald as both teams look to end a forgetful first half on a good note. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m.
Notes
The Giants drafted Jackson Flora with the fourth overall selection in the 2026 MLB Draft Saturday morning. Flora, a 6-foot-5, right-handed pitcher from UC Santa Barbara, set a program single-season record with 133 strikeouts in 2026. He also finished with a 1.06 ERA, the best in the program’s Division-I era (since 1970) and second-best all time.
He features a high-velocity fastball along with an above average changeup but questions can be asked if his stuff translates from the Big West conference to the big league level.
Flora is also from Pleasanton and attended Foothill High School, the same as former Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. He instantly becomes the top pitching prospect in the Giants organization and is protected to reach the big leagues as soon as next season.
At pick 29, San Francisco drafted Carson Bolemon, a 6-foot-4, left-handed pitcher from Southside Christian School (S. Car.) Bolemon, 19, was ranked as the nation’s No. 3 high school prospect in his class by Prep Baseball Report and he helped the USA Baseball 18U National Team win the World Championship in 2025.
This past season Bolemon posted a 7-0 record with a 0.17 ERA in 33 appearances, which led him to winning 2025-2026 Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year, going back-to-back as he bestowed the honor in 2024-2025.
Pitching continued to be an emphasis as Kaden Waechter was selected with the 55th overall pick. Waechter, 18, is the son of former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Doug Waechter and attended Jesuit High in Tampa, the same school of World Series champion Lance McCullers Jr.
Waechter’s fastball reaches the mid-90s and his slider can also be deceptive as a cutter if it reaches in the high 80s.
