DENVER — Rookie right-hander Antonio Senzatela expanded his pitching repertoire to stay a step ahead of the San Francisco Giants.
Senzatela pitched seven innings of one-run ball for his third win in four major league starts, Trevor Story homered for the second straight night and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 12-3 Saturday.
“The thing about tonight that I thought was different than the previous start was the use of the breaking ball and the changeup,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It was a true three-pitch mix. He got some outs with the breaking ball. He got some outs with the change and again, the fastball was live, beat some swings, and he pitched very well.”
Senzatela (3-0) allowed four hits and struck out three while walking none. He also beat the Giants in a one-run decision last week, and this time was buoyed early as the Rockies got three runs in the first inning, capped by Mark Reynolds’ fifth homer of the season.
Senzatela also benefited from season highs in hits (14) and runs by the Rockies, who have beaten the Giants in five of six meetings this season, primarily exploiting San Francisco’s shoddy pitching.
“We’re a much better staff than what’s happened,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We got to tighten it up here and wake up. We’re not a team that goes out and pounds it with the other club. We got to pitch.”
Charlie Blackmon tripled and homered and Reynolds also homered for the Rockies, who have won five of six and can sweep the Giants with a win Sunday. San Francisco has lost five of six and dropped to 6-12 overall, worst in the NL.
Matt Moore (1-3) went four innings and allowed six runs and nine hits, including home runs by Story and Blackmon during a three-run fourth. Moore dropped to 0-2 with a 12.34 ERA in three appearances at Coors Field.
The Giants, whose stay in Colorado began with the loss of ace left-hander Madison Bumgarner to injuries suffered in an off-day dirt bike accident, saw center fielder Denard Span leave the game after crashing into the wall shoulder-first while catching Blackmon’s deep drive for the final out of the second inning. Conor Gillaspie replaced him in the lineup. Span’s injury was characterized by the team as a mild shoulder sprain, and he was scheduled to undergo X-rays.
Joe Panik broke up Senzatela’s shutout bid with a two-out solo home run in the sixth. The Giants added a pair of runs in the eighth on Brandon Belt’s run-scoring double and an RBI single by Panik but could not cash in further after reliever Carlos Estevez fanned Brandon Crawford to end the inning, stranding runners at second and third.
Colorado answered in a big way in the bottom of the eighth, tacking on six more runs and sending 11 batters to the plate. Among the ways they scored was a bases-loaded walk to Carlos Gonzalez and a two-run single by Reynolds.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: Manager Bruce Bochy said there are no indications from the preliminary medical reports that Bumgarner would require any surgery, but he declined to rule out the possibility entirely, pending a follow-up exam in San Francisco. Bumgarner, who has been placed on the disabled list and is out indefinitely, has yet to discuss the accident publicly but may do so Monday after the team’s return to San Francisco. … RF Hunter Pence did not start the game after banging his left knee in a fall Friday night while trying to field Blackmon’s inside-the-park home run. Pence drew a walk in the eighth as a pinch hitter and was expected to return to the starting lineup on Sunday.
Rockies: OF David Dahl, sidelined by a rib injury from spring training in early March, took “dry swings” with a bat Saturday in the latest step toward a return to full baseball activities. “He’s able to throw, he’s able to run,” Black said. “The last component was swinging the bat and he’s there. Now it’s just a matter of building him up.”
BEREAVEMENT LEAVE
The Giants expect to place Crawford on the bereavement list next week when he leaves the team to be with his wife and their family as they attend funeral services for his sister in law, Bochy said. Jalynne Crawford’s sister, Jennifer Dantzscher Pippen, 38, died April 12 after suffering an asthma attack. The family, according to Jalynne Crawford’s twitter feed, is holding a visitation on Wednesday followed by a funeral on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-3), who pitched well in a one-run loss to the Rockies last time out, faces Colorado again in another bid for his first win of the season.
Rockies: Rookie LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1), a Denver native playing for his hometown team, has made three of his four career starts at Coors Field, where he’s 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA.
