SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Madison Bumgarner put together a vintage outing that came at the perfect time and gave a weary bullpen much needed rest.
The Giants ace was disappointed he didn’t do more.
Bumgarner pitched into the eighth inning and San Francisco beat Colorado 5-2 Saturday, handing the Rockies their eighth straight loss.
“Bum knew what we were looking at as far as the bullpen,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Just gave us a great effort there, he got us where we needed. Let him start the eighth but I wasn’t going to have him go too far there.”
After outlasting the Rockies 3-2 in an 18-inning game that took over 5 ½ hours and ended shortly before 1 a.m., the Giants came back about 12 hours later and wrapped up this win in 2 hours, 48 minutes.
Bumgarner (1-2) allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out seven, walked one and didn’t permit a runner past first base until the sixth when Garrett Hampson doubled in Charlie Blackmon.
The big lefty exited after Chris Iannetta’s leadoff double in the eighth, angrily slapping his glove on his thigh as Bochy came out to replace him.
Bumgarner hardly sounded satisfied after eight Giants relievers combined for 14 scoreless innings in Friday’s marathon.
“In my mind, eight was the minimum for a day like today,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously close to it, but I have to find a way to get through that part of the lineup right there. I feel like I have to get at least one more right there and save those guys because last night was tough on everybody.”
Reyes Moronta followed Bumgarner and struck out the next three. Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for his first save.
Recently acquired Kevin Pillar homered for the fourth time in six days for the Giants. Buster Posey got two hits and drove in his first run this season - the star catcher had zero RBIs in 40 at-bats over his first 12 games.
Steven Duggar and Gerardo Parra added two hits apiece as San Francisco won its third straight following a 4-9 start.
Mark Reynolds homered for the Rockies. Colorado (3-12) is off to its worst start in franchise history.
“Something’s got to change,” said Rockies center fielder Ian Desmond after going 0 for 3. “We’ve got a good collection of guys in here. Something’s got to be shaken up. Something’s got to be done differently.”
San Francisco made two stellar defensive plays as well.
Left fielder Gerardo Parra made a diving catch on Nolan Arenado’s sinking liner in the first. The Giants then turned a 1-3-5 double play in the second inning after Trevor Story singled leading off.
Colorado didn’t have much to be excited about at all.
The Rockies struck out a franchise-record 24 times in Friday’s loss and fanned 10 times on Saturday. After getting called out on strikes to end the sixth, Arenado immediately began yelling at home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn and slammed his bat to the ground before walking away.
Pillar had a sacrifice fly in the third and homered off Kyle Freeland (1-3) in the fifth. Pillar has 12 RBIs since being acquired in a trade from Toronto on April 2.
WAKE ME LATER
Bumgarner wasn’t around to see the end of Friday night’s game. He went home early to rest and woke up in the middle of the night while the game was still going.
“I checked my phone in the 16th and tapped my wife and I was like, ’Hey, they’re still playing,’” Bumgarner said. “Then I got up a little later, 4 o’clock or something. I watched the video how we won and then went back to sleep.”
WON’T GO 0-5
By taking three straight from the Rockies, the Giants clinched their first series win of the season after dropping the first four.
FREELAND’S FINGER
Freeland allowed three runs on nine hits and developed a blister on his left middle finger. Manager Bud Black pulled him after five innings in hopes that the left-hander can make his next start.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: 1B Brandon Belt was scratched from the starting lineup after scoring the winning run Friday night. Belt entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth.
UP NEXT
Colorado RHP German Marquez (1-1, 3.00 ERA) pitches the series finale Sunday looking for his first win in six career starts against San Francisco. LHP Derek Holland (1-1, 3.38) pitches for the Giants.
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