Rockies 9, Giants 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Nolan Arenado belted a double and a home run to become the all-time, single-season leader in extra-base hits among third basemen Friday night, helping the Colorado Rockies bomb the San Francisco Giants 9-3 in the opener of a three-game, season-ending series.
Left fielder Corey Dickerson also homered, and right-hander Kyle Kendrick pitched six strong innings, helping the Rockies snap a three-game losing streak and clinch the season series against the Giants for the second consecutive year.
Like Arenado, Dickerson also doubled, as the Rockies lashed six extra-base hits, five of which came against Giants starter Chris Heston (12-11).
Arenado's two extra-base hits gave him 88 for the season, one more than previous record-holder Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones amassed in 1999.
His home run, a solo shot in the second inning that opened the Colorado scoring, was his 10th of the season against the Giants. Only former Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy (11 in 1983) had more in a single season.
Arenado leads the league in home runs with 42. His three RBIs increased his season total to 130.
Kendrick (7-13), a pending free agent, bounced back from consecutive six-run outings with one of his best performances of the season.
The veteran allowed five hits and just one run in six innings. He walked one and struck out six.
He also contributed to the Colorado offense with a single, a walk and two runs scored.
Shortstop Jose Reyes had a two-run double among two hits for the Rockies, who totaled nine hits.
Dickerson also had two RBIs, both on his third-inning home run that capped a five-run uprising.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford had a two-run double and right fielder Jarrett Parker added an RBI double for the Giants, who were eliminated from the National League West race earlier in the week.
The Giants had eight hits in the game.
Heston, the National League rookie leader in wins, lasted only two outs into the fourth inning, having already allowed eight runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out three.
The big explosion against the rookie came in the third, when right fielder Carlos Gonzalez had an RBI single, Arenado a two-run double and Dickerson a two-run homer in succession, turning a tie game into a 6-1 Rockies advantage.
The home run was Dickerson's ninth of the season.
NOTES: The Giants (.267) and Rockies (.266) began the series 1-2 in the National League in team batting average. The Giants haven't led the NL in batting since 1993. ... When the Giants honor LHP Jeremy Affeldt's retirement Sunday, the Rockies will participate in it. After all, the three-time World Series champion as a member of the Giants also played a key role in the Rockies winning their only National League pennant in 2007. Colorado lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that year. ... In a pregame on-field ceremony, 3B Matt Duffy was presented the Willie Mac Award, given annually to the Giants player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of 1B Willie McCovey, one of the franchise's all-time greats. ... Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado (86) began the series one extra-base hit away from tying the Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones (87) for the most ever by a third baseman in a single season.