Instant Replay: Giants 2, Rockies 1

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCOMadison Bumgarner snapped out of a four-start slump and the Giants scored their only runs on a passed ball and three straight singles to win 2-1 in the first of four games against the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park.The Dodgers enjoyed a day off before starting a lengthy road trip, so the Giants magic number now sits at eight.Starting pitching report Madison Bumgarner established a new career-high with five walks, but danced out of danger enough to work six innings and put himself in line for his 15th win, another career-high.Bumgarner entered Mondays series opener 0-3 with a 7.29 ERA and nine walks in his last four starts. It didnt bode well when he walked leadoff man Dexter Fowler. But Fowler was caught stealing ahead of a Jordan Pacheco double and Bumgarner snagged Wilin Rosarios comebacker to end the inning.The second inning started with another walk and Bumgarner made matters worse when he gave up a single to Josh Rutledge, Troy Tulowitzkis replacement. But Bumgarner once again escaped the jam by striking out Matt McBride and getting D.J. LeMahieu to hit into a 6-3 double play. For the first time in the game, Bumgarner didnt walk the leadoff man in the third, but he issues back-to-back one out walks to the top of the order. Thanks to a beautiful backhanded play by Brandon Crawford ahead of a strikeout, Bumgarner kept the Rockies off the board again. After putting together his first 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, Bumgarner was back in the stretch thanks to pitcher Jhoulys Chacins one-out double. Chacin came around to score the only run on Bumgarner when Rutledge came through with a two-out triple.Bumgarner walked his fifth batter with two outs in the sixth inning, but erased the mistake with a 1-3-6 pickoff that ended his evening.Bumgarners final line: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K. He threw 101 pitches, 55 of which were strikes.Bullpen report Bruce Bochy turned to his bullpen in the seventh, and wasted no time racking up the mound visits. Guillermo Mota relieved Bumgarner to open the inning, but was yanked after issuing a one-out walk to D.J. LeMahieu. Jose Mijares took over for Mota and struck out pinch-hitter Tyler Colvin before giving way to Santiago Casilla, who ended the inning by getting Dexter Fowler to fly out to left.Casilla remained in the game to start the eighth and kept Bochy in the dugout with a 1-2-3 inning that ended with a strikeout of Wilin Rosario. With the luxury of an expanded September roster, Bochy has been switching pitchers late in games with regularity. But he let Casilla hit for himself in the bottom of the eighth and keep the ball for the top of the ninth. The Giants one-time closer induced a ground ball to short for the first out of the ninth, but gave way to lefty specialist Javier Lopez when the Rockies brought in the left-handed hitting Carlos Gonzalez as a pinch hitter. After Lopez induced another 6-3 groundout, Bochy brought in Sergio Romo and Jim Tracy countered with Jason Giambi. Romo won the battle with the aging slugger, getting him to lunge at a two-strike pitch way off the plate to end the game.At the plate Brandon Crawford led off the third inning with a triple after the Giants mustered just a Pablo Sandoval walk in the first two frames against Jhoulys Chacin. Crawfords triple hit off the top of the wall in dead center, eerily similar to the double Ian Kinsler hit in Game 2 of the 2010 World Series at AT&T Park. Madison Bumgarner couldnt bring Crawford home, but with Angel Pagan at the plate, Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario allowed a ball to get away for a run-scoring passed ball.After the Rockies tied the game in the top of the fifth, the Giants appeared poised to take the lead again in the bottom half. Crawford hit a ball to Triples Alley that skipped over the wall for a ground-rule double, the second time in as many as many at-bats that the wall robbed him of an extra base. Bumgarner failed to execute a sacrifice bunt to move Crawford over to third, which proved costly when Angel Pagan singled and Crawford was called out at home. Rockies left fielder Andrew Brown ranged close to the left-field line to get to Pagans ball, then fired a strike to Rosario at home. Crawford was called out on a very close play, but replays suggest he may have been safe.The sixth inning started with three straight hits from the heart of manager Bruce Bochys lineup and gave the Giants the lead again, but it ended in disappointment. Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence all singled, with Pences poke to right scoring Sandoval and moving Posey over to third. The single gave Pence 27 go-ahead RBIs this season, which is tied for the third best in the National League. But one run is all the Giants would get, as Brandon Belt and Xavier Nady both popped up and Crawford ended the inning with a swinging strikeout.After taking the lead in the sixth, the Giants were held to just a Marco Scutaro single and a Pence walk the rest of the way. Santiago Casilla even got another chance with the bat after coming through with an RBI single his last time at the plate. He didnt drive in a run this time, but still made contact, a feat on its own considering his ugly swing.The Giants racked up nine hits, but scored just the two runs, due in large part to a 1-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position.In field Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner each made spectacular defensive plays to keep the Rockies off the board in the first inning. After Bumgarner issued a leadoff walk to Dexter Fowler, Posey erased the mistake with a perfect throw to second base that led both Fowler and his manager Jim Tracy to question second base umpire Ed Hickoxs vision. Bumgarner also allowed a two-out double to Jordan Pacheco, but kept him from scoring when he made a reflexive grab on Wilin Rosarios screaming comebacker to end the inning.It took another amazing defensive play to get Bumgarner through a scoreless third. Brandon Crawford continues to dazzle at short, as he ranged far to his right to backhand a slow-hit ground ball by Jordan Pacheco with runners at first and second. Crawford completed the play with a perfect off-balance throw across his body to Brandon Belt at first for the second out of the inning.Pablo Sandoval, who struggled defensively in consecutive games in Colorado last week, went to the ground to glove a screaming liner off the bat of Wilin Rosario. He collected himself and calmly threw across the diamond to complete the play.On the bases Angel Pagan stole his 26th base of the season after his single in the fifth inning. He didnt get a great jump but beat out a low throw by Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario.Attendance The Giants announced a sellout crowd of 41,280 for their 156th consecutive regular season game with all seats accounted for. Other than during run-scoring rallies, the fans were at their loudest for the celebration of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepedas 75th birthday, during an M-V-P chant for Buster Posey, and to congratulate a woman who was proposed to during the Kiss Cam feature.Up next The Giants play the second of four straight games against the Rockies Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. with RHP Tim Lincecum (9-14, 5.09 ERA) opposing LHP Jeff Francis (5-5, 5.68 ERA).