San Francisco, CA – Matt Cain pitched eight solid innings of one-run ball as the San Francisco Giants downed the Colorado Rockies, 7-1, in the third installment of a four-game series at AT&T Park.
Cain (15-5) scattered four hits and fanned eight while walking four to earn his fifth straight positive decision. Jose Mijares finished off the rout with a perfect ninth inning.
Pablo Sandoval popped a three-run home run among his three hits, while Gregor Blanco went 3-for-4 with a two-run single for the Giants, who have won the first three games of this set. Brandon Belt and Buster Posey each added an RBI in the victory.
DJ LeMahieu knocked in the lone run with a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, who lost for the fifth consecutive game. Tyler Chatwood (4-5) took the loss after allowing three runs on eight hits in four innings.
San Francisco jumped on top in its first at-bat with three runs. Angel Pagan began the inning with a solid single back up the middle and Marco Scutaro followed with a double down the line in left field before Sandoval smashed an opposite-field, three-run bomb over the wall in right field.
"He put a good swing on a pitch and I think he definitely needed that," Cain said of Sandoval's home run.
Colorado finally dented Cain for a run in the fifth as Chris Nelson started the frame with a single and Charlie Blackmon followed with a base knock, which allowed Nelson to go first-to-third. LeMahieu then lofted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Nelson to cut the deficit to two.
The NL West leaders responded with three in the home portion of the inning to make it 6-1. Sandoval began things with a single to right and Hunter Pence beat out an infield hit two batters later to put runners on the corners. Belt ripped an double to right, scoring Sandoval, and Blanco followed with a two- run single to bring in Pence and Belt.
"The way that guy pitches and you stake him to a 6-1 lead, you put yourself in a pretty bad position," Rockies manager Jim Tracy admitted of Cain.
An RBI single by Posey in the sixth extended the Giants' lead to 7-1. Mijares went through Tyler Colvin, Nelson and Blackmon in order in the ninth.
Game Notes
Scutaro (1-for-4) matched his career-best for hits in a season with 174 ... San Francisco improved to 61-19 when scoring first and 68-19 when scoring more than four runs in a game ... Cain improved to 15-7 in 28 career starts against the Rockies. His 15 wins against Colorado are his highest total against any team in MLB ... The Giants are 17-2 in games started by Cain when scoring three-or-more runs.
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