Giants 7, Rockies 3
DENVER -- Veteran Jake Peavy gave the struggling San Francisco Giants a decent start Saturday night. That was no surprise, but his offensive might was.
Peavy's two-way effort helped the Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 7-3 and break a seven-game losing streak, one short of their season high. The Giants also avoided losing eight straight games on the road for the first time since 2000.
Peavy (5-6) doubled twice, scoring one run in the fifth and driving in another in the sixth when the Giants increased their lead to 5-1. Before his first double, Peavy was 3-for-24 (.125) with no extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts this season. He is the first Giants pitcher with two doubles in a game since Russ Ortiz had two Sept. 13, 2002, at San Diego.
Peavy was 2-2 with a 5.34 ERA in his past five starts, but he made just one bad pitch against the Rockies. After holding them to one run and two hits through five innings, Peavy gave up a two-run homer to third baseman Nolan Arenado on a 1-2 fastball that trimmed the Giants' lead to 5-3 and ended Peavy's day after 5 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits and one walk, with five strikeouts.
Arenado's homer was his 36th of the season, tying him with teammate Carlos Gonzalez for the National League lead. Arenado set a franchise record by homering in his sixth consecutive game, the longest streak in the majors since Baltimore's Chris Davis homered in six straight Sept. 26 to Oct. 2.
Arenado's homer was his ninth this season against the Giants, the most since Dale Murphy hit 11 against them in 1983.
Jason Gurka took the mound in the seventh, and right fielder Gregor Blanco greeted him with his fourth homer. The Giants tacked on another run in that inning to go ahead 7-3 when Scott Oberg walked first baseman Nick Noonan with the bases loaded and two outs.
The Giants had hit one homer -- by pitcher Ryan Vogelsong -- during their seven-game losing streak and had scored 15 runs during that skid, including six in their past four defeats. They topped that figure and hit two homers while preventing the Rockies from winning a season-high-tying fourth straight game.
Four relievers followed Peavy to the mound and combined to limit the Rockies to one hit in 3 1/3 innings.
Back-to-back doubles by catcher Hector Sanchez and first baseman Nick Noonan with two outs in the second inning gave the Giants a 1-0 lead. Center fielder Angel Pagan made it 2-0 when he led off the third with a home run barely inside the right-field foul pole.
The home run was Pagan's first since May 2, 2014, and ended a drought of 697 at-bats without a homer that was the longest among National League players.
Shortstop Jose Reyes' run-scoring triple with two outs in third cut the Giants' lead to 2-1. His drive went just beyond the outstretched glove of right fielder Gregor Blanco and scored pitcher Chad Bettis, who had singled with one out and moved to third on two wild pitches by Peavy.
Third baseman Matt Duffy doubled home two runs to increase the Giants' lead to 4-1 with one out in the fifth. Peavy led off with a double, and Bettis issued a walk ahead of Duffy.
Bettis (6-5) gave up eight hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings, the second-shortest of his 16 starts this season.
NOTES: Giants C Hector Sanchez left the game in the fourth with a left ankle sprain and will be X-rayed. The injury occurred when he lunged to reach first base on a sacrifice attempt. ... Giants OF Nori Aoki was scheduled to start but called Giants trainer Dave Groeschner on Saturday morning and reported post-concussion symptoms. ... Giants RHP Matt Cain (right elbow nerve irritation) will make a second and final relief appearance Monday for Triple-A Sacramento and again throw about 35 pitches. He threw 32 pitches in two scoreless innings there on Friday. ... Giants 1B Brandon Belt received intravenous fluids before the game to treat a stomach illness. ... Giants C/1B Buster Posey was not in the lineup because of a recent heavy workload and being hit with a pitch in the back Friday night. 1B Nick Noonan made his first start since his contract was selected Tuesday from Triple-A Sacramento. ... Giants 2B Joe Panik (back inflammation) was scheduled to play eight innings for Triple-A Sacramento before flying to Phoenix on Sunday and being activated Monday for the start of a series against Arizona. ... Giants C Andrew Susac had his sore right wrist examined by a hand specialist in San Francisco. The wrist has bothered him since spring training. ... Rockies LF Corey Dickerson (broken right ribs) was scheduled to play seven innings for Triple-A Albuquerque in his fourth rehab game. ... The Rockies will send LHP Kyle Freeland, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft, to the Arizona Fall League.