Giants 8, Rockies 3: Brandon Crawford highlighted a five-run first inning with a two-run double and Marco Scutaro recorded three hits and two RBIs as visiting San Francisco took the rubber game of the three-game series to improve to 8-0-1 in their last nine sets.
Joaquin Arias added two hits and drove in a pair of runs for the Giants, who improved to a National League-best 21-7 on the road since the All-Star break and increased their lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West to seven games.
Gregor Blanco began the early onslaught against Jeff Francis with a leadoff triple and scored on Scutaro's single. Arias and Hector Sanchez delivered RBI singles later in the first before Crawford capped the rally with his double.
After hitting another RBI single in the sixth, Scutaro led off the ninth with a base hit and scored on a triple by Hunter Pence, who came home on Arias' sacrifice fly to complete the scoring.
Tim Lincecum (9-14) yielded three runs on six hits and four walks over six innings. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, who struck out eight, has allowed three runs or less in 10 of his last 12 starts.
Francis (5-5) lasted only three innings as he was touched for five runs and seven hits. The veteran left-hander, who fanned five, fell to 7-8 in 18 career outings against San Francisco.
Rookie Wilin Rosario homered and drove in two runs for the Rockies, who went 2-7 at home versus the Giants this year.
GAME NOTEBOOK: OF Angel Pagan almost did not have a chance to set a new San Francisco single-season record for triples as he was scratched with a callous on his right index finger. However, he entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning but struck out. Pagan hit his 12th triple on Tuesday, tying him with Willie Mays (1960) and Steve Finley (2006) for most in a season since the club moved from New York. ... The Giants will kick off the 2013 season on April 1 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, while the Rockies begin the campaign in Milwaukee on the same day.
San Francisco | Colorado | |
Tim Lincecum | Player | Jeff Francis |
Win | W/L | Loss |
6.0 | IP | 3.0 |
8 | Strikeouts | 5 |
6 | Hits | 7 |
4.50 | ERA | 15.00 |
San Francisco | Colorado | |
Marco Scutaro | Player | Wilin Rosario |
3 | Hits | 2 |
2 | RBI | 2 |
0 | HR | 1 |
3 | TB | 5 |
.600 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
San Francisco | 15 | 0 | 22 | .375 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Colorado | 8 | 1 | 12 | .235 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 |