The Rockies’ brief ray of light was snuffed out by Robbie Ray Friday night.
The veteran left-hander toyed with the Rockies for seven shutout innings in the Giants’ 4-0 win at Oracle Park. Ray allowed just two singles, struck out eight and walked two.
Colorado managed a two-out single by Hunter Goodman in the fourth and a two-out single by Jordan Beck in the fifth. Colorado got its third and final hit — a pinch-hit single from Nick Martini in the eighth — off reliever Hayden Birdsong.
Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner with Toronto, cruised through his evening on 86 pitches.
“He was solid, for sure,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters in San Francisco. “He had a good, live fastball. And his sliders was probably the real equalizer tonight. The slider was sharp. He kept it down. It was the combination of the lively fastball up top and the hard slider underneath.”
Rockies veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela was not sharp enough to keep pace with Ray. The Giants scored all four runs off Senzatela in his five innings.
Cleanup hitter Matt Chapman’s solo homer in the third made it 4-0, a cherry on top of the Giants’ cakewalk.
” ‘Senza’ put up some zeroes after the home run was hit, but the damage was done early, in the second inning,” Black said. “But we just couldn’t get to Ray. That was the problem tonight. He was good.”
The Giants own the Rockies — and quite possibly their offspring. With Friday night’s victory, the Giants improved to 49-17 vs. the Rockies since the start of the 2021 season. Thatap the best record by any team vs. a division opponent in the majors over that span.
The Rockies’ miniature winning streak ended at two games as their record slid to 6-26. The Rockies suffered their fourth shutout of the season. And while it’s just May 2, and there’s a lot of baseball to be played, the Rockies remain in the conversation for one of the worst starts to a season in major league history.
San Francisco strung together three consecutive hits to open the second inning. That outburst turned out to be more than enough for the Giants.
Wlimer Flores led off with a double, Heliot Ramos reached on an infield squibber and LaMonte Wade Jr.’s double off the glove of first baseman Michael Toglia scored Flores. Sam Huff’s sacrifice fly to right scored Ramos and Wade scored on a wild pitch from Senzatela.
Feltner to IL. Right-hander Ryan Feltner will miss at least two starts after being placed on the 15-day injured list Friday because of lingering back spasms. Feltner was scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Giants at Oracle Park but was flown home to Denver for treatment.
Colorado called up right-hander Bradley Blalock from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Feltner.
“We just wanted to make sure that he didn’t make this start on Saturday compromised,” “The way his back felt, it would have. The back was just not in a position where Ryan felt comfortable giving it a go, and we didn’t feel comfortable.”
Blalock (0-1, 10.29 ERA) has pitched in three games with the Rockies this season. After two outings in relief, Blalock made his first start on Sunday vs. the Reds at Coors Field, allowing six runs over four-plus innings.
Saturday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (0-1, 10.29, ERA) at Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (1-3, 6.12)
2:05 p.m., Saturday, Oracle Park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM
հԻ徱Բ:Left fielder Jordan Beck has caught fire. He entered Friday night’s game at San Francisco hitting 11-for-30 (.367) with three doubles, five home runs, seven RBIs, four walks and one stolen base over his last nine games. His five home runs are tied for the most in the majors over that span and his 1.395 OPS ranks third.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-5, 9.82) at Giants RHP Logan Webb (0-2, 2.83), 2:05 p.m.
Monday: Off day
