San Francisco – The San Francisco Giants were mocked for their Centrum Silver outfielders, all with socks older than most of the Florida Marlins. Barry Bonds spent the first four months hurting, his performance painful to watch even as he passed Babe Ruth. Disposed closer Armando Benitez’s knees were encased in ice, his head engulfed in mystery.
And yet this geriatric team keeps reminding fans that winning never gets old. There are three weeks left, and the San Francisco Giants refuse to go away in the playoff races. They outlasted the Rockies 10-6 on a chilly Tuesday night at AT&T Park.
After two offensive innings, among their most impressive here, Colorado inflated a 4-0 cushion. Todd Helton and Jeff Baker knocked in runs. Catcher Chris Iannetta hit his first big-league homer. Then Denny Bautista set foot on the mound in the second inning, rendering their accomplishments useless.
Bautista was given an audition as a sixth starter. If this were “American Idol,” he wouldn’t be going to Hollywood. Bautista recorded five outs – and gave up six runs. All came in the second inning, a meltdown that left the Giants 1 1/2 games behind the Padres in the wild-card chase and three shy of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
When Bautista’s command vanished, he was punished, a bludgeoning triggered by Garrett Atkins’ team-high 18th error. The pummeling started when the resurgent Bonds walked on a full-count fastball. Ray Durham, the Giants’ MVP, followed with a free pass, bringing up Moises Alou, a card-carrying member of the 40-something crew.
Alou grounded to Atkins, who fumbled the ball. Instead of racing Bonds to third, Atkins threw wildly to second, pulling Kaz Matsui off the bag. Of course, Pedro Feliz, who should donate a portion of his upcoming free-agent contract to the Rockies, made Bautista pay. Feliz, a career .287 hitter against the Rockies with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 83 games, doubled to left field.
Suddenly, the four-run cushion appeared nothing more than an annoying interruption to the Giants’ postseason push. On his 48th pitch, Bautista hung an 87 mph slider that Omar Vizquel rapped into right field, pushing the Giants ahead for good.
“We have a lot of things going well right now,” catcher Todd Greene said.
The Rockies had executed a brief U-turn before arriving in the visiting clubhouse. They swept the Nationals, caffeinated their offense, and still couldn’t reverse an ugly trend. Colorado lost for the 24th time in 30 second-half road games, the lone highlight the Giants’ crowd giving Rockies’ baseball consultant Dave Dravecky, a former San Francisco pitcher, a standing ovation in the eighth inning.
What made the loss discouraging was that the lineup produced. Baker, expected to start again today, drove in two runs. He’s part of the kids the Rockies are evaluating. The Giants, winners of 19 of their past 27 games, just feel young.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
