DENVER — Ezequiel Tovar homered for a third straight game, breaking a tie with a two-run drive in the fifth inning, and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Saturday night.
Kyle Freeland (2-3) went six innings and allowed three runs — two earned — on five hits in a fifth consecutive quality start since being reinstated from the injured list June 23 after missing two months due to a left elbow strain. He struck out four and walked one to win back-to-back decisions for the first time this season. Freeland said he threw all four of his pitches for strikes, allowing him to keep Giants batters on the defensive.
“I was filling up the zone," he said. "Putting yourself in good counts and allowing the defense to work for you, that’s huge as a starting pitcher. If we continue to do that, you're going to see a lot of games like this, where starters are going to go deep into games and we’ll come out with wins.”
Tyler Fitzgerald, batting ninth in the order, doubled and homered to drive in two runs for the Giants. Wilmer Flores had a run-scoring double after Matt Chapman reached with two outs in the sixth on shortstop Tovar’s fielding error.
Logan Webb was coming off his worst start of the season. He had matched a career high when he allowed seven runs in five innings in a 10-6 loss to Toronto on July 10.
Webb (7-8) kept the Rockies in check until Sam Hilliard singled to start the fifth. One out later, Tovar hit one over the left field fence for his 16th home run of the season.
Tovar said he connected on a slider that came in over the middle of the plate and the reaction of the 44,178 fans told him it was out of the park.
“It was more the atmosphere of the crowd. That’s when I knew that I hit it that far,” Tovar said through an interpreter. His homer traveled 455 feet, the longest of his career.
Webb went six innings and allowed four runs on eight hits. He walked four and struck out four. “I have to be better. I know that," he said. "I’m pretty frustrated with the way I’ve been performing the last couple of games.”
Fitzgerald homered off Freeland in the third and doubled home Mike Yastrzemski, aboard with a triple, in the fifth.
Nick Mears pitched two hitless innings in relief, starting his outing by striking out four in a row, and Victor Vodnik pitched a hitless ninth for his third save. “Nine batters faced, nine outs. That's pretty good for the bullpen," Mears said.
UP NEXT
Rockies LHP Ryan Feltner (1-9, 5.36 ERA) will be looking to snap an eight-game losing streak when he takes the mound in Sunday’s series finale against the Giants, who are scheduled to start RHP Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 3.72 ERA).
