Giants 11, Rockies 8
DENVER -- Ryan Vogelsong gave the San Francisco Giants their fourth consecutive superb start. Brandon Belt hit a memorably long home run, and two late rallies by the rampaging Giants sealed an 11-8 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
After the Rockies scored a run in the ninth, rain halted play for 1 hour, 44 minutes. When play resumed, pinch hitter Michael McKenry and right fielder Carlos Gonzalez lined run-scoring singles that cut the Giants' lead to 11-7 and forced them to bring in closer Santiago Casilla with no outs and runners on first and second.
He retired shortstop Troy Tulowitzi and first baseman Wilin Rosario but gave up a run-scoring double to first baseman Ben Paulsen before striking out catcher Nick Hundley to earn his 11th save.
The victory extended the Giants' season-high winning streak to seven games -- their longest since they won eight straight from Sept. 11-18, 2011 -- and was their 10th win in the past 13 games.
Vogelsong held the Rockies to two singles in six innings and was staked to a seven-run lead. But the scoreless string by the Giants' pitchers ended at 34 consecutive innings when second baseman DJ LeMahieu hit a three-run homer off George Kontos in the seventh.
The Rockies trimmed the lead to 7-4 on back-to-back two-out doubles in the eighth by Tulowitzki and Rosari off Jean Machi. But the Giants put the game out of reach by scoring four runs with two out in the ninth, the final two on third baseman Matt Duffy's second homer.
Catcher Buster Posey led off the sixth with a single, extending his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games. First baseman Belt then launched a 2-0 changeup from Kyle Kendrick into the third deck in right field, giving the Giants a 3-0 lead.
After Kendrick (1-6) worked 6 1/3 innings, the Giants teed off on rookie Ken Roberts and blew the game open with a four-run seventh. He took over with a runner on second, walked the first batter he faced and then yielded consecutive run-scoring singles followed by Posey's two-run double that made it 7-0.
In his past four starts, Vogelsong (3-2) is 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA. He held the Rockies hitless until the fourth when Rosario grounded a two-out single to right past diving second baseman Joe Panik. Rockies first baseman Ben Paulsen then flied out to end the frame.
Colorado catcher Nick Hundley led off the fifth with a single for the Rockies' second hit, but Vogelsong struck LeMahieu, retired Kendrick on a fly to right and got center fielder Charlie Blackmon to pop out.
NOTES: Rockies RHP David Hale will be added to the roster as the 26th man Saturday and start the second game of the doubleheader. He's 0-3 with a 6.93 in five starts at Triple-A Albuquerque. ... RHP Yusmeiro Petit will be the Giants' starter in the second game of the doubleheader. He's 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 13 relief appearances this season. ... The Giants will add RHP Hunter Strickland to their roster as the 26th player for the doubleheader. At Triple-A Sacramento, Strickland is 1-1 with five saves and a 1.66 ERA in 15 games with three walks and 25 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. ... Giants RHP Matt Cain, who has been on the disabled list all season because of a right flexor tendon strain, threw a bullpen session and, barring a setback, will pitch to hitters for the first time on Tuesday in Milwaukee.