SAN FRANCISCO — Hey, Jason Marquis, don’t quit your day job. The Rockies would be lost without you.
Marquis, who rarely loses during daylight hours, confounded the San Francisco Giants for nine innings in the Rockies’ 5-1 victory. It was clearly one of the most satisfying victories of the season.
The only blemish on this 2-hour, 26-minute Mona Lisa was Pablo Sandoval’s solo homer leading off the ninth. That blast to right spoiled Marquis’ chance for the third shutout of his career. Still, Marquis notched his fifth complete game and allowed just five hits.
After a lousy April, the Rockies are finding their stride, winning for the fourth time in six games.
While Marquis (4-1, 3.31 ERA) muffled the Giants’ bats by mixing his heavy sinker with an effective changeup, the Rockies made the most of their seven hits against Giants starter Matt Cain with three home runs.
Ryan Spilborghs led off the game with a home run into the left-field bleachers on Cain’s second pitch. Spilborghs blasted a two-run shot over the center-field wall in the fifth, putting Colorado in front 4-0. It marked the fourth multihomer game of Spilborghs’ career. He also walked, singled and stole two bases. Spilborghs bumped his average to .309.
Brad Hawpe, starting for the first time since suffering a bruised neck Monday, rocketed a leadoff solo homer to right in the sixth inning, extending the Rockies’ lead to 5-0. Cain gave up all five runs in six innings to take his first loss of the season.
Todd Helton, clearly in the zone, went 2-for-5, raising his average to .320. He’s had more than one hit in five consecutive games.
Marquis is off to one of the best starts of his career. His sinker has always been effective at AT&T Park. It was again Saturday. The top-heavy pitch forced the Giants into 14 groundball outs.
The Giants threatened Marquis just twice. In the third, Emmanuel Burriss singled, stole second and advanced to third on Cain’s groundball out. But Marquis got Randy Winn to pop out to second and Edgar Renteria to fly out to center. With two outs in the fifth, Burriss reached on an infield hit, and Cain’s bunt hugged the third-base line for another infield hit. But Marquis again got Winn to pop out — this time to center.
It was the fourth time this season Marquis won during the daylight hours. His lone loss came at night, in Arizona, on April 20. It’s not an aberration. Last season, pitching for the Cubs, Marquis went 7-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 17 day games (16 starts).
Marquis has enjoyed hot springs before. With the Cubs in 2007, he opened the season with a no decision, lost his next game, then reeled off five wins in a row.
The Rockies try to capture their second consecutive series today.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Giants, 2:05 p.m., FSN
Rockies right-hander Jason Hammel (0-0, 5.59 ERA) didn’t wow anybody when he started against the Padres last week, but there were some encouraging signs. His fastball showed zip early on, and he was able to throw a nasty curve for strikes, if only for 2 2/3 innings. Then the wheels came off, and he ended up surrendering five runs (four earned) in three innings. Hammel, in the rotation while Franklin Morales works through an aching shoulder, needs to be impressive today or he could end up back in the bullpen. Giants left-hander Barry Zito (0-2, 5.24) is coming off two solid starts (three runs in 13 1/3 innings), and his fastball is back to 90 mph. But it’s Zito’s big curve that has baffled the Rockies. In seven starts against them, he’s 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA, limiting the Rockies to a .199 average.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Monday:
Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (0-2, 3.57) vs. Padres’ Kevin Correia (0-2, 4.71), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Tuesday:
Rockies’ Aaron Cook (1-1, 7.11) vs. Padres’ Josh Geer (0-0, 5.29), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday:
Giants’ Randy Johnson (2-2, 4.50) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4, 6.58), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Thursday:
Giants’ Matt Cain (2-1, 3.09) vs. Rockies’ Jason Marquis (4-1, 3.31), 1:10 p.m., FSN
