Pinch hitter Noel Cuevas delivered a two-run single in the eighth inning Monday afternoon, allowing the Colorado Rockies to survive a late rally by the San Francisco Giants and record a 9-8 victory in the opener of a three-game series in Denver.

The Giants had scored three times in the top of the eighth inning to take an 8-7 lead in a game they had once trailed 7-2.

The Rockies moved into first place in the National League West when the Los Angeles Dodgers lost 4-2 to the New York Mets on Monday night. Colorado is a half-game up on Los Angeles and 1 1/2 games in front of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With his team down by one, Ian Desmond led off the Colorado eighth with a single off the fourth Giants pitcher, left-hander Tony Watson (4-6).

One out later, Chris Iannetta's pinch-hit double sent Desmond to third. Both runners raced home when Cuevas singled to center field.

Rockies closer Wade Davis came on to record his 38th save with three straight strikeouts in the ninth, locking up Colorado's third straight win.

Seunghwan Oh (2-0) was credited with the win despite losing a 7-5 lead in the eighth when Alen Hanson hit a game-tying, two-run homer and pinch hitter Chris Shaw swatted a go-ahead solo home run for his first major league hit.

Shaw had been 0-for-6 before the homer.

The game began as a Rockies romp, with DJ LeMahieu and Trevor Story bombing two of Madison Bumgarner's first 11 pitches for home runs, producing a 4-0 lead.

Story added a second homer, his 28th of the year, and finished with five RBIs as the Rockies went up 7-2 in the fifth inning.

Bumgarner was pulled after five innings, having allowed seven runs (six earned) and eight hits. He walked one and struck out six.

Rockies starter Tyler Anderson also did not get a decision despite exiting with a 7-3 lead in the sixth inning. The left-hander was charged with three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

The homer by LeMahieu was his 14th of the season.

Story, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado each scored two runs for the Rockies, who opened a 10-game homestand.

Hanson's homer was his seventh of the season. Gorkys Hernandez also homered, his 14th, for the Giants, who lost for the sixth time in seven games at Colorado this season.

Evan Longoria finished with three RBIs, Nick Hundley had two hits and Hernandez scored twice for the Giants, who lost their third straight and fell eight games behind the Rockies in the West.

--Field Level Media