Sep 2, 2008 10:03 pm US/Pacific
Giants Drop 5th Straight, Lose To Rockies In 12
DENVER (AP) ―
Ryan Spilborghs singled home Omar Quintanilla with one out in the bottom of the 12th and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5 on Tuesday night.
Quintanilla started the rally by singling off of Keiichi Yabu (3-6), and Matt Holliday walked. Giants closer Brian Wilson came on and Spilborghs lined a single down the right-field line to end the game.
Troy Tulowitzki homered for the Rockies, his sixth of the year.
Jason Grilli (3-1), the sixth Colorado reliever, struck out four and walked one in three innings of relief for the Rockies, who have won seven of 10. Colorado began the day six games behind Arizona in the NL West.
While the Rockies are still eight games under .500, their position in the division is just about the same as it was last year. Through games of Sept. 2, 2007, the Rockies were five games behind Arizona and San Diego, in fourth place. This year, they're in third.
Colorado won 14 of their final 15 regular season games last year to win the NL wild card, and advanced to the World Series by winning seven straight.
Randy Winn and Omar Vizquel had three hits each for the Giants, who have lost five straight and seven of their last eight.
After the Giants tied the game in the sixth, neither team mounted much of a threat. San Francisco had runners on first and second in the seventh and 10th innings but couldn't score, and Holliday led off the bottom of the 10th with a drive to the wall in right that was caught.
Tim Lincecum dominated Colorado for the first three innings, striking out four and not allowing a hit, but he faltered in the fourth when he gave up five runs and threw two wild pitches.
Quintanilla, who led off the fourth with a single, scored on Holliday's single. Brad Hawpe doubled down the right-field line to drive in Holliday, and Chris Iannetta's single up the middle made it 3-0.
After Garrett Atkins flew out to right and Ian Stewart struck out, Tulowitzki hit a high changeup into the left-field seats to make it 5-0.
Lincecum struck out six and walked two in five innings.
The Giants got two back in the fifth on Vizquel's double to right made it 5-2. They tied it in the sixth and chased Colorado starter Livan Hernandez.
Nate Schierholtz, called up before the game, led off with a single and one out later Bengie Molina walked. Glendon Rusch relieved Hernandez and walked Pablo Sandoval.
Luis Vizcaino replaced Rusch, struck out pinch-hitter Fred Lewis and had an 0-2 count on Emmanuel Burriss before Burriss singled home two runs. Vizquel singled to tie it before Vizcaino struck out pinch-hitter John Bowker to end the inning.
Hernandez gave up five hits and four runs in 5 1-3 innings. He didn't strike out a batter and walked two.
Both bullpens were strong. Until the 12th, four Giants relievers shut out the Rockies on four hits over 6 1-3 innings, and the Rockies pen struck out eight and blanked San Francisco over the final 5 1-3 innings.
Notes:@ Former Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. was in attendance. ... Holliday's RBI in the fourth inning was his first since Aug. 23, a span of nine games.
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