Story's grand slam helps Rockies beat Giants
DENVER -- Trevor Story belted a grand slam, and Charlie Blackmon hit an inside-the-park homer Friday night as the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5.
The Rockies are 7-0 in one-run games and lead the majors in such victories.
Story's first career grand slam and Blackmon's two-run shot came in the fourth inning and gave the Rockies a rare win against Giants starter Johnny Cueto.
Cueto was 7-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his past eight starts against the Rockies and had won seven consecutive starts overall dating to last season.
The Rockies became the first team in the National League since the New York Giants on Aug. 16, 1950, to hit a grand slam and an inside-the-park homer in the same inning. The last time the feat was accomplished in the majors was Sept. 19, 2011, when the Boston Red Sox did it.
The win was the fourth in five games for the Rockies, who are 4-1 this season against the Giants and 11-6 overall. Losers of four of their past five games, the Giants fell to 6-11.
Cueto (3-1) allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings, after giving up eight runs in 19 innings in his first three starts.
Tyler Chatwood (2-2) yielded four runs and seven hits in six innings for the Rockies. Closer Greg Holland, the fifth Rockies pitcher, posted his ninth save in as many appearances with a perfect ninth.
The Giants trimmed the lead to 6-5 in the eighth on an RBI single by Joe Panik after Eduardo Nunez led off with a single and stole second. Adam Ottavino then walked Chris Marrero on four pitches, retired pinch-hitter Gorkys Hernandez on a flyout and gave way to left-hander Jake McGee.
He got Denard Span to fly out and Brandon Belt to foul out.
Story's grand slam and Blackmon's two-run homer put the Rockies ahead 6-3 in the fourth when they sent 10 men to the plate in their biggest inning of the year.
Three consecutive one-out singles in the fourth loaded the bases for Story. He lofted a 1-0 fastball into the right-field stands for his third homer of the season.
The opposite-field shot traveled 400 feet and put the Rockies ahead 4-3. It was the eighth hit of the season for Story, who struck out in the second to whittle his average to .133.
Tony Wolters followed with a single and was sacrificed to second. The Rockies then caught a break when right fielder Hunter Pence appeared to lose Blackmon's line drive in the lights. Pence slipped and the ball went well past him, enabling Blackmon to circle the bases with his fourth homer of the season.
The six-run uprising was particularly unusual against Cueto, who had allowed 10 runs in 37 innings in his previous six starts at Coors Field.
Belt cut Colorado's lead to 6-4 in the fifth when he hit his fourth homer of the season.
The Giants batted around in the second against Chatwood and scored three runs with five hits and left the bases loaded.
Nunez, who had two hits in his past 20 at-bats, doubled home the first run with one out. He drove in Buster Posey, who led off with a single and took second on a balk.
Panik saved Cueto a run in the third. Wolters led off with a single, and Chatwood and Blackmon followed with sacrifices. Panik made a leaping catch at second base of DJ LeMahieu's line drive to end the inning.
NOTES: Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (left shoulder strain, bruised ribs) was placed on the 10-day disabled list, the result of a motorized dirt bike accident Thursday. ...Giants LHP Ty Blach, who retired the side in the sixth, is scheduled to start Tuesday against Los Angeles in place or Bumgarner. ...Giants RHP Chris Stratton was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento....Giants C Buster Posey returned to that position. He was the DH in Kansas City the two previous games, following a stint on the seven-day concussion disabled list....Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon's inside-the-park homer was the team's first since Brandon Barnes hit one June 14, 2014, at San Francisco off Sergio Romo...Rockies RHP German Marquez will start Tuesday when a fifth starter is needed against Washington...Rockies 1B Ian Desmond (broken left hand) is expected to take batting practice in the next few days for the first time since he was hit with a pitch March 12.