Tanner Gordon (0-2, 6.95 ERA) got the ball for Colorado against Tyler Mahle (1-8, 5.70 ERA) in an early getaway game, first pitch at 2:00 PM MT, and neither guy walked in with much momentum. Gordon was fresh off a 5-run, 9-hit clunker against Miami, while Mahle had lasted just 4.1 innings in his last turn against Arizona. This was always shaping up as a shootout, not a pitchers' duel.
San Francisco is still without Matt Chapman, who landed on the 10-day IL with an abdominal strain that had been nagging him since mid-April before it finally gave out running down the first-base line last week. Colorado, meanwhile, got center fielder Brenton Doyle back from a rehab assignment but kept him on the 10-day IL rather than activating him outright, and starters Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano remain shelved. Both rosters are patched together right now, which made this one feel like a coin flip long before the odds board ever printed a number.
And a coin flip it was. The Giants scratched across single runs and doubles-up innings all afternoon, building a 6-4 cushion by the end of the 7th on the strength of a bullpen that actually held for once. Then the Rockies put together a 3-run 8th to flip the whole thing, and Colorado's pen slammed the door on the Giants in the 9th to seal it.
It's the same story that's defined this series and honestly this Giants season: San Francisco builds a lead against bad pitching, then can't finish the job. They'd already dropped game 1 of this set 3-15 before roaring back to beat Colorado 6-4 in the series middle game — so this was the rubber match, and the Rockies were the ones who found a way.
Neither team is going anywhere in the standings — Colorado sits at 36-54 and the Giants aren't much better at 37-51 — but Sunday was a reminder that both lineups can still do damage when the pitching in front of them is this shaky. The injury list on both sides only adds to the feeling that whoever's healthy on a given day is going to decide these Coors Field get-togethers.
- 10-Day-ILMatt Chapman 3B — Chapman was diagnosed with an abdominal muscle strain following his removal from Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader CF — Bader (foot) will start his hitting and throwing progressions later this week, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILDaniel Susac C — The Giants placed Susac on the 10-day injured list Friday with a lower-back strain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
- 15-Day-ILKeaton Winn RP — Winn (elbow) struck out two in a scoreless inning during a rehab outing with the Giants' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate in its 9-5 win over the ACL Athletics on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Gage RP — The Giants placed Gage on the 15-day IL on Saturday due to a left elbow strain, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILJoel Peguero RP — Peguero (hamstring) threw 30 pitches during a bullpen session Monday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILJason Foley RP — Foley (shoulder) struck out two over a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.
- 60-Day-ILRowan Wick RP — The Giants placed Wick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrenton Doyle CF — The Rockies returned Doyle (oblique) from his rehab assignment Sunday, but he remains on the 10-day injured list.
- 15-Day-ILSeth Halvorsen RP — The Rockies placed Halvorsen on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to July 1, due to right shoulder inflammation.
- 15-Day-ILTomoyuki Sugano SP — Colorado placed Sugano (back) on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to July 1.
- 15-Day-ILBlas Castano RP — Castano (pectoral) is expected to begin a throwing program next week, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJaden Hill RP — Hill (shoulder) resumed playing catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJose Quintana SP — Quintana (elbow) is scheduled to play catch Monday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILChase Dollander SP — Dollander underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow Monday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.
- 60-Day-ILWelinton Herrera RP — Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer announced Monday that Herrera (elbow) has been diagnosed with a torn UCL and will miss the remainder of the season, Jack Janes of MLB.com reports.