Cave's homer the difference in Rockies' win over Giants
DENVER (AP) — Jake Cave hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning in the Colorado Rockies' 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Cave also doubled as a pinch hitter in the seventh, and Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar added homers for the Rockies. Colorado has 15 home runs in its last four games.
“Up and down our lineup, it’s crazy," Cave said. "You’ve got (Michael) Toglia down at the bottom, who’s hitting a homer like every other game. I think we’ve got a good chance to make some people mad. That’s what we want to do — go in, play good teams and make them mad that we beat them.”
Cave hit a 410-foot shot to right field off Ty Rogers (1-3), the 31-year-old outfielder's third homer in 10 games after going without one in his first 66 games of the season.
“I knew I got that one," Cave said. "I saw a few different pitches from him, obviously that fastball and that slider from him, but from a submarine low angle, you’ve got to be perfect. Luckily, I had seen enough from because I had a longer at-bat and then he left one in a spot where I could get the barrel on it.”
Doyle hit a 434-foot homer in the sixth, his fifth in the past seven games and 10th since June 28.
Tovar’s solo shot in the eighth gave the Rockies their final run of the night. He has three homers in the past two games.
“He didn’t waver from his routine, his process," Rockies manager Bud Black said about Tovar. "He didn’t panic, even though for a second-year player, it’s easy to do. He hung in there. That shows his mettle, shows how tough he is, shows his confidence in who he is. It’s good to see him bounce back.”
Jalen Beeks (6-4) threw a perfect 1 1/3 innings for the victory.
Rogers allowed three earned runs in just a third of an inning.
“It was very uncharacteristic of them giving up some runs," Giants manager Bob Melvin said. "Give them credit. They put together some good at-bats and scored some runs off some good relievers.”
Though he struggled with control at times, walking four batters, Giants starter Kyle Harrison gave up just one hit in five shutout innings while striking out six. In two outings at Coors Field this season, he hasn’t given up a run in 12 innings.
Thairo Estrada tripled in two runs for the Giants in the second.
“We’re probably not going to win 100 games this year. That’s OK," Rockies starter Cal Quantrill said. “But we want to be a team that other teams don’t want to play.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: OF Kris Bryant (left rib contusion) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday and could return to the team as soon as Monday, with Black noting that the former National League MVP “feels good and ready to go.”
Giants: LHP Kolton Ingram cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. … LHP Alex Young was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets. Neither Ingram nor Young appeared this season for San Francisco.
UP NEXT
LHP Kyle Freeland (1-3, 6.00 ERA) was set to start for Colorado on Saturday against RHP Logan Webb (7-7, 3.47).
___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb