SAN FRANCISCO—Jason Hammel extended a trend of good pitching for the Colorado Rockies. Manager Jim Tracy is hoping the offense can soon catch up.
Hammel carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning Sunday, but the slumping Rockies lost to the San Francisco Giants 2-1. Despite allowing only one run and two hits in seven innings, the right-hander is winless in his last seven starts.
“I felt great,” Hammel said. “Sometimes you’re only going to get one run and sometimes you have to make that stand up. I’m a little disappointed. Two-out walks is what it comes down to. It’s frustrating for the team, not just myself.”
Ryan Vogelsong pitched eight fantastic innings for San Francisco and Andres Torres singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth.
Hammel retired 17 of his first 18 batters. He walked two and struck out four.
The teams combined for 10 runs in the three-game series.
“Got to hit, that’s all I’ve got,” Tracy said. “You give up two runs, you should win. It’s that simple. We gave up six runs in the series but we only scored four.”
The Rockies have scored three or fewer runs in 11 of their last 12 games.
Hammel got the first two outs of the sixth but walked Torres. Miguel Tejada ended the no-hit bid with a hit-and-run single and Freddy Sanchez followed with an RBI single.
“He lost command there for a brief moment but because of what’s not taking place for us offensively, that’s all it takes,” Tracy said. “It comes back to we didn’t hit. We were 1 for 12 with seven strikeouts with our 2-3-4 hitters. It’s not the first day we’ve had to deal with this. It’s what is holding this team up.”
Chris Iannetta homered for the Rockies, who are 4-12 in their last 16 games and have not won back-to-back games since May 16-17.
Matt Lindstrom (0-1) walked pinch-hitter Pat Burrell to open the eighth inning, and pinch-runner Emmanuel Burriss was sacrificed to second by Vogelsong. Burriss went to third on a wild pitch and scored easily on Torres’ single.
“We’re playing great ballgames,” Hammel said. “We’re just not getting the clutch hit or the shutdown inning at the right time. Even the best hitting teams go through stretches like this. Obviously this is a little extended, but you have to put up or shut up.”
The hitters are frustrated with themselves.
“It’s hard knowing he’s out there working so hard for us,” Colorado outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. “To not score any runs for him is difficult. It’s tough to lose a game like that.”
Vogelsong (4-1) matched his career high with eight innings, giving up a run on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven. He’s allowed one run or less in each of his past six starts. Brian Wilson worked the ninth for his 17th save in 19 chances.
Until this year, Vogelsong hadn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2006. He spent three years in Japan and shuffled between three organizations last season.
“It was a long road for him but he never gave up,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He kept grinding to get back to the major leagues. That’s one of the best stories I’ve seen since I’ve been in the game.”
NOTES: Giants 1B Brandon Belt was placed on the 15-day disabled list and replaced on the roster by INF Conor Gillaspie. … Rockies OF Dexter Fowler was out of the starting lineup with a sore abdomen. … Giants C Buster Posey visited the clubhouse for the first time since undergoing surgery on his left leg. … Hammel needs two strikeouts to match Bruce Ruffin (319) for 14th on the Rockies’ career list. … Torres was picked off first base in the eighth after getting picked off at second Saturday.
