Charlie Blackmon hits home run No. 200, lifts Rockies over Giants – The Denver Post

Baseball is serious business for Charlie Blackmon. Smiles flashed in the midst of a game are as rare as diamonds.

But Blackmon flashed his pearly whites, if only for a moment, on Tuesday night at San Francisco’s Oracle Park.

The veteran outfielder delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer over the right-field wall and into McCovey Cove in the sixth inning, lifting the Rockies to a 5-3 victory over the Giants. Blackmon ripped lefty Jose Alverez’s 1-2 changeup 425 feet for his ninth homer of the season.

And there was plenty more to Blackmon’s feel-good homer. Not only was it the 200th of his career, but his blast also came on the 11th anniversary of his major league debut. He was a beardless, short-haired 24-year-old when he started against the Padres at Petco Park on June 7, 2011. He went 0-for-3 in that game.

Blackmon came off the bench cold to hit his game-deciding homer Tuesday night, but that made the moment even more special.

“It was just really cool to come up in that spot, ” Blackmon told AT&T SportsNet. “It was a really cool, memorable spot to do it.”

Blackmon, who turns 36 on July 1, also said that he felt fortunate to be a big-leaguer for so many years.

“I’m really trying to enjoy it,” he said. “I’m really lucky to be here. It’s a long time to play this game. One day is a long time to play this game and I’m very lucky.”

While Blackmon was the headliner for the Rockies, who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the third time in their last 14 games at Oracle Park, starter German Marquez provided a crucial subplot. He pitched six solid innings, providing a hint that he might be ready to snap out of the funk he’s been in since last August.

“For the most part, he kept the ball down from the first inning on,” manager Bud Black told reporters in San Francisco.  “He worked well with his fastball and I thought he was a little bit less predictable with his pitches. It was a well-thrown game. He deserved that one.”

Said Blackmon: “German is always such a good competitor and I was really proud of him. He gave up three in the first and then only a few hits after that. What a good player he is.”

Marquez told reporters that he threw a variety of pitches and was especially pleased with his sinking fastball.

Marquez’s rocky first inning seemed to portend another bad start. Marquez, who entered the game with a 6.71 ERA, issued a one-out walk to Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores made Marquez pay with a two-run homer to left. It was the 12th homer the right-hander has surrendered this season, but his first served up outside of Coors Field.

A single by Joc Pederson, walk by Evan Longoria, and RBI single by Luis Gonzalez gave the Giants a 3-1 lead.

But for the next five innings, Marquez provided a reminder of why he was an all-star last summer. He gave up no more runs, yielded just one hit, and departed with the Rockies holding their 5-3 lead. Marquez did walk four, but he also struck out seven.

“I thought it was just one bad pitch in the first inning,” Marquez said. “I had to go long in this game. I threw everything and my changeup was good today.”

Connor Joe, the Rockies’ Mr. Consistency, provided an immediate boost. He led off the game with a homer to left-center on Carlos Rodon’s 2-2 fastball. Joe’s fifth homer of the season extended his on-base streak to 33 consecutive games.

Colorado cut the Giants’ lead to 3-2 in the third, with Joe playing an instrumental role.  He reached on an infield single, took second on Yonathan Daza’s single, stole third and scored on C.J. Cron’s sacrifice fly.

The Rockies got only four hits off Rodon in his four innings, but they made him work. He threw 98 pitches and the Rockies fouled off 33 of them.

On Deck
Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (2-3, 5.40 ERA) at Giants LHP Alex Wood (3-5, 4.66)
7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oracle Park
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

Senzatela, coming back from a stint on the injured list, was not sharp in his last start. He gave up a career-high 13 hits, including a home run, in 5 1/3 innings vs. Miami at Coors Field. The Marlins tagged him for six runs. Senzatela is getting hit hard this season, as his 1.917 WHIP illustrates. He’s 5-2 in 12 games (10 starts) against the Giants, with the Rockies going 7-5 in his appearances.

Wood went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits — all singles — and two walks, and struck out five in his last start at Miami. Wood said he wanted to pitch longer, despite having tossed 90 pitches. It was a step forward for the lefty after a sub-par May when he posted a 5.32 ERA in five starts. He’s already faced the Rockies twice this season. He was the pitcher of record on May 10 at Oracle Park in San Francisco’s 9-2 victory. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He only lasted 4 1/3 innings on May 16 at Coors Field, giving up three runs on six hits. Still, the Giants won 7-6.

Trending: Right fielder Charlie Blackmon entered Tuesday night’s game with 199 career home runs, two shy of tying Dante Bichette for sixth in franchise history.

At issue: The Giants own the Rockies. Entering Tuesday night’s game, the Giants were 11-2 vs. Colorado at Oracle Park since the start of 2021. The Giants had outscored the Rockies 77-32 over that span. Overall, the Giants had won 12 of their last 13 games vs. Colorado dating to Aug. 15 of last year.

Pitching probables:
Thursday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (2-6, 6.54) at Giants RHP Alex Cobb (3-2, 5.73), 1:45 p.m., ATTRM
Friday: Rockies RHP Chad Kuhl at Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (6-0, 1.64), 7:40 p.m., ATTRM

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