What we learned as Giants' offense sparks comeback win vs. Rockies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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SAN FRANCISCO -- A punch to the gut isn't any easier when you expect it, and the Giants couldn't hide their disappointment Friday after Jung Hoo Lee was told that he would in fact need season-ending shoulder surgery. When Mason Black gave up three runs before most at Oracle Park had even found their seats a couple hours later, it seemed like this would be a very dark day for an organization that has had a lot of them recently.
But Thairo Estrada had different ideas. His three-run blast flipped the score and the Giants never looked back, getting a 10-5 win over a Colorado Rockies team that had surprisingly won seven straight.
Estrada had the biggest swing but the Giants got contributions up and down the lineup, which has been rare. Seven different players had a hit and five scored a run. Luis Matos capped the scoring with a two-run double down the left field line in the eighth, giving him five RBI on the night and 10 in four starts this week. Matos joined Matt Chapman as the only Giants with a five-RBI game this season.
When the teams met at Coors Field last week, they were the only two in the big leagues without a three-game winning streak. The Rockies emphatically left that club, and the Giants will have a chance to finally get their third straight on Saturday, when future left-handed Opening Day starter Kyle Harrison faces past left-handed Opening Day starter Ty Blach.
With Keaton Winn on the IL and unavailable Sunday, the Giants pushed Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks back a day and brought Black back from Triple-A. He seemed to be set up for a couple more starts, but that's in question now after how Friday's return went.
Black gave up four straight hits to start the game and was charged with four earned on six hits in three-plus innings. Jordan Beck brought a fourth Rockies run home with a homer in the second, and Black drilled Jacob Stallings to open the fourth before Bob Melvin finally came out with the hook.
Black had a good spring and has been tremendous in Triple-A this season. But in three big league appearances, he has allowed 10 earned runs and completed just 11 2/3 total innings. He got just three swinging strikes on his 50 pitches Friday.
With his latest blast, Estrada tied Michael Conforto for the team lead in homers (7). While Conforto did most of his damage early, Estrada has six of his seven homers over the last 31 games. Estrada ranks second among NL second basemen in homers and is tied for second with 24 RBI.
The go-ahead blast ended a painful but fulfilling sequence for Estrada. He fouled a pitch off his left leg three pitches earlier, and even though he was wearing a shin guard, the contact was hard enough that he went down to the dirt and trainer Dave Groeschner came out. Estrada walked it off, and soon he was making a slow jog around the bases.
There have been plenty of flashes over the years for Sean Hjelle, but on the last road trip, he finally seemed to fully put it together. Hjelle struck out 10 over four relief innings during a sweep in Philadelphia, and he continues to climb the ladder in the bullpen.
Melvin used Hjelle in the seventh on Wednesday since Ryan Walker was out with a tight back, but he needed him early on Friday. Hjelle took over with a runner on and no outs in the fourth and immediately gave up a double, but he got out of the jam with two groundouts and a fly ball to center.
With two scoreless innings, Hjelle has now allowed just two runs in 11 2/3 innings over his last eight appearances. He has 17 strikeouts during that span.
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