DENVER -- Trevor Story has been tinkering with his swing to break out of a slump.
He just might be on to something.
Story hit his first career grand slam and Charlie Blackmon lined an inside-the-park homer as part of a six-run fourth inning, helping the Colorado Rockies beat Johnny Cueto and the San Francisco Giants 6-5 on a rainy Friday night.
It's the first time an NL team has hit a grand slam and an inside-the-parker in the same inning since the 1950 New York Giants, according to STATS. The Boston Red Sox accomplished the feat in 2011.
"We're seeing signs of better at-bats," Rockies manager Bud Black said of Story. "I liked the swing on the grand slam for sure."
Story had a monster April a season ago, when he hit 10 homers and was named NL rookie of the month. This season, he's slightly off, with his average dipping to .143.
"I feel close," said Story, who hit his third homer. "I trust and believe in the work I'm putting in."
Tyler Chatwood (2-2) started off shaky before finding his rhythm. He went six innings and allowed four runs. This was quite a contrast to his outing last weekend at San Francisco, when he threw a complete-game shutout.
Jake McGee bailed the Rockies out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth by getting a fly out and a pop out. Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth straight save to start this season.
"Those guys (in the bullpen) are doing a great job down there," Chatwood said. "They have big-time arms."
Cueto (3-1) struggled in the fourth when the rain picked up intensity. The right-hander allowed his first big league grand slam on a fastball to Story. Later, with a runner on, Blackmon hit a sinking liner to right that Hunter Pence lost in the lights at the last instant.
The ball rolled all the way to the wall and Blackmon easily beat the throw home for Colorado's first inside-the-park homer since Brandon Barnes on June 14, 2014, at San Francisco.
"There was never any doubt in my mind once I saw it get by him," Blackmon said. "I was running hard the whole time."
Cueto went five innings and gave up six runs as his streak of seven straight wins dating to last season was halted.
"He was cruising and he just got some balls up and they placed them well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy explained. "The six-run inning is what did us in. That's the ball game there. Tried to fight back. Just came up short."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: Lefty Madison Bumgarner (bruised ribs, sprained joint in shoulder) was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his big league career after a dirt bike accident Thursday on the team's off day. "Unfortunately, the accident happened," said Bochy, whose team has the worst record in the NL. "Our focus, it's on, `Let's get him healthy."
Rockies: 1B Ian Desmond (broken left hand) hit in the cage Friday. ... RHP Chad Qualls (forearm tightness) will soon be heading out on a rehab assignment.
BOCHY'S BACK
Bochy was back on the bench after missing the two-game series at Kansas City following a heart procedure. He had his typical sense of humor.
"The doctor said, `You may have a bad knee, but you don't have a bad heart. You're fine," Bochy recounted. "I feel great now and I'm all set to go."
FAMILIAR VOICE
The voice greeting passengers on the train at Denver International Airport these days is none other than that of the Rockies manager.
"How did I sound? Just all right?" Black joked. "It wasn't easy. It was sort of tough knowing you're going to be on that train."
CLOSE GAMES
The Rockies improved to 7-0 in one-run games. They were 12-20 last season.
Even more, they've beaten pitchers such as Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, along with Bumgarner and now Cueto.
"Our guys are up for any challenge, doesn't matter who the pitcher is," Black said.
UP NEXT
Giants: Lefty Matt Moore (1-2, 4.26 ERA) went 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs during his last outing at Coors Field on Sept. 5, 2016.
Rockies: Righty Antonio Senzatela (2-0, 2.37 ERA) picked up his second major league win last weekend at San Francisco.
---
For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
San Francisco Giants
He just might be on to something.
Story hit his first career grand slam and Charlie Blackmon lined an inside-the-park homer as part of a six-run fourth inning, helping the Colorado Rockies beat Johnny Cueto and the San Francisco Giants 6-5 on a rainy Friday night.
It's the first time an NL team has hit a grand slam and an inside-the-parker in the same inning since the 1950 New York Giants, according to STATS. The Boston Red Sox accomplished the feat in 2011.
"We're seeing signs of better at-bats," Rockies manager Bud Black said of Story. "I liked the swing on the grand slam for sure."
Story had a monster April a season ago, when he hit 10 homers and was named NL rookie of the month. This season, he's slightly off, with his average dipping to .143.
"I feel close," said Story, who hit his third homer. "I trust and believe in the work I'm putting in."
Tyler Chatwood (2-2) started off shaky before finding his rhythm. He went six innings and allowed four runs. This was quite a contrast to his outing last weekend at San Francisco, when he threw a complete-game shutout.
Jake McGee bailed the Rockies out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth by getting a fly out and a pop out. Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth straight save to start this season.
"Those guys (in the bullpen) are doing a great job down there," Chatwood said. "They have big-time arms."
Cueto (3-1) struggled in the fourth when the rain picked up intensity. The right-hander allowed his first big league grand slam on a fastball to Story. Later, with a runner on, Blackmon hit a sinking liner to right that Hunter Pence lost in the lights at the last instant.
The ball rolled all the way to the wall and Blackmon easily beat the throw home for Colorado's first inside-the-park homer since Brandon Barnes on June 14, 2014, at San Francisco.
"There was never any doubt in my mind once I saw it get by him," Blackmon said. "I was running hard the whole time."
Cueto went five innings and gave up six runs as his streak of seven straight wins dating to last season was halted.
"He was cruising and he just got some balls up and they placed them well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy explained. "The six-run inning is what did us in. That's the ball game there. Tried to fight back. Just came up short."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: Lefty Madison Bumgarner (bruised ribs, sprained joint in shoulder) was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his big league career after a dirt bike accident Thursday on the team's off day. "Unfortunately, the accident happened," said Bochy, whose team has the worst record in the NL. "Our focus, it's on, `Let's get him healthy."
Rockies: 1B Ian Desmond (broken left hand) hit in the cage Friday. ... RHP Chad Qualls (forearm tightness) will soon be heading out on a rehab assignment.
BOCHY'S BACK
Bochy was back on the bench after missing the two-game series at Kansas City following a heart procedure. He had his typical sense of humor.
"The doctor said, `You may have a bad knee, but you don't have a bad heart. You're fine," Bochy recounted. "I feel great now and I'm all set to go."
FAMILIAR VOICE
The voice greeting passengers on the train at Denver International Airport these days is none other than that of the Rockies manager.
"How did I sound? Just all right?" Black joked. "It wasn't easy. It was sort of tough knowing you're going to be on that train."
CLOSE GAMES
The Rockies improved to 7-0 in one-run games. They were 12-20 last season.
Even more, they've beaten pitchers such as Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, along with Bumgarner and now Cueto.
"Our guys are up for any challenge, doesn't matter who the pitcher is," Black said.
UP NEXT
Giants: Lefty Matt Moore (1-2, 4.26 ERA) went 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs during his last outing at Coors Field on Sept. 5, 2016.
Rockies: Righty Antonio Senzatela (2-0, 2.37 ERA) picked up his second major league win last weekend at San Francisco.
---
For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
8:40PM,EDT,April 21,2017
Coors Field, Denver,Colorado
Coors Field, Denver,Colorado
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| San Francisco - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Span grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Belt lined out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Pence lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Johnny Cueto pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| Blackmon grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| LeMahieu grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Arenado flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Posey singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Posey to second on balk by Chatwood. | 0 | 0 |
| Crawford lined out to center, Posey to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Núñez doubled to deep right, Posey scored. | 1 | 0 |
| Panik reached on infield single to second, Núñez to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Marrero singled to right, Núñez scored, Panik to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Cueto bunted into fielder's choice to pitcher, Panik out at home, Marrero to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Span singled to right, Marrero scored, Cueto to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Belt walked, Cueto to third, Span to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Pence grounded out to second. | 3 | 0 |
| 3 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Johnny Cueto pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| González grounded out to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Reynolds walked. | 3 | 0 |
| Parra flied out to center. | 3 | 0 |
| Story struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Posey lined out to third. | 3 | 0 |
| Crawford singled to center. | 3 | 0 |
| Núñez grounded out to shortstop, Crawford to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Panik lined out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Johnny Cueto pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| Wolters singled to center. | 3 | 0 |
| Chatwood sacrificed to first, Wolters to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Blackmon sacrificed to catcher, Wolters to third. | 3 | 0 |
| LeMahieu lined out to second. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Marrero fouled out to first. | 3 | 0 |
| Cueto struck out looking. | 3 | 0 |
| Span lined out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Johnny Cueto pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| Arenado grounded out to third. | 3 | 0 |
| González singled to center. | 3 | 0 |
| Reynolds singled to shallow left, González to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Parra singled to center, González to third, Reynolds to second. | 3 | 0 |
| Story homered to right (388 feet), González, Reynolds and Parra scored. | 3 | 4 |
| Wolters singled to left. | 3 | 4 |
| Chatwood sacrificed to pitcher, Wolters to second. | 3 | 4 |
| Blackmon inside-the-park home run to right (336 feet), Wolters scored. | 3 | 6 |
| LeMahieu walked. | 3 | 6 |
| Arenado popped out to second. | 3 | 6 |
| 6 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Belt homered to center (449 feet). | 4 | 6 |
| Pence walked. | 4 | 6 |
| Posey flied out to right. | 4 | 6 |
| Crawford lined out to center. | 4 | 6 |
| Núñez grounded out to second. | 4 | 6 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Johnny Cueto pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| González grounded out to shortstop. | 4 | 6 |
| Reynolds doubled to center. | 4 | 6 |
| Parra grounded out to first, Reynolds to third. | 4 | 6 |
| Story lined out to left. | 4 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Panik walked. | 4 | 6 |
| Marrero grounded into double play, third to second to first, Panik out at second. | 4 | 6 |
| Hill hit for Cueto. | 4 | 6 |
| Hill struck out swinging. | 4 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Ty Blach pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| Blach relieved Cueto. | 4 | 6 |
| Wolters struck out looking. | 4 | 6 |
| Valaika hit for Chatwood. | 4 | 6 |
| Valaika lined out to second. | 4 | 6 |
| Blackmon grounded out to second. | 4 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Mike Dunn pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Dunn relieved Chatwood. | 4 | 6 |
| Span popped out to shortstop. | 4 | 6 |
| Belt singled to center. | 4 | 6 |
| Pence singled to center, Belt to second. | 4 | 6 |
| Ottavino relieved Dunn. | 4 | 6 |
| Posey flied out to center. | 4 | 6 |
| Belt to third, Pence to second on wild pitch by Ottavino. | 4 | 6 |
| Crawford grounded out to second. | 4 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Cory Gearrin pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| Gearrin relieved Blach. | 4 | 6 |
| LeMahieu grounded out to first. | 4 | 6 |
| Arenado struck out swinging. | 4 | 6 |
| González walked. | 4 | 6 |
| Reynolds walked, González to second. | 4 | 6 |
| Parra hit by pitch, González to third, Reynolds to second. | 4 | 6 |
| Story popped out to second. | 4 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Adam Ottavino pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Núñez singled to left. | 4 | 6 |
| Núñez stole second. | 4 | 6 |
| Panik singled to right, Núñez scored. | 5 | 6 |
| Marrero walked, Panik to second. | 5 | 6 |
| Hernández hit for Gearrin. | 5 | 6 |
| Hernández lined out to right. | 5 | 6 |
| McGee relieved Ottavino. | 5 | 6 |
| Span lined out to center. | 5 | 6 |
| Belt fouled out to third. | 5 | 6 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Steven Okert pitching for San Francisco | SF | COL |
| Okert relieved Gearrin. | 5 | 6 |
| Wolters doubled to deep center. | 5 | 6 |
| Cardullo hit for McGee. | 5 | 6 |
| Cardullo struck out swinging. | 5 | 6 |
| Blackmon grounded out to first, Wolters to third. | 5 | 6 |
| Strickland relieved Okert. | 5 | 6 |
| LeMahieu grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| San Francisco - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Greg Holland pitching for Colorado | SF | COL |
| Holland relieved McGee. | 5 | 6 |
| Pence struck out looking. | 5 | 6 |
| Posey flied out to left. | 5 | 6 |
| Crawford struck out swinging. | 5 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
San Francisco Giants
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Span CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .204 | .250 | .286 |
| Belt 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | .238 | .351 | .508 |
| Pence RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | .288 | .351 | .394 |
| Posey C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .343 | .439 | .486 |
| Crawford SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .283 | .308 | .483 |
| Núñez 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .300 | .328 | .350 |
| Panik 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | .321 | .393 | .434 |
| Marrero LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .152 | .194 | .242 |
| Cueto P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .091 | .091 | .091 |
a-Hill PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .125 | .250 | .250 |
Blach P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Gearrin P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
b-Hernández PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .065 | .121 | .097 |
Okert P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | |
| Totals | 37 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 130 | |||
| a-struck out swinging for J Cueto in the 6th b-lined out to right for C Gearrin in the 8th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Núñez (3, Chatwood) HR: Belt (4, 5th inning off Chatwood 0 on, 0 Out) RBI: Núñez (5), Marrero (5), Span (2), Belt (8), Panik (5) 2-out RBI: Span GIDP: Marrero Giants RISP: 5-14 (Núñez 1-1, Marrero 1-1, Panik 2-3, Span 1-2, Cueto 0-1, Pence 0-1, Posey 0-1, Hernández 0-1, Belt 0-1, Crawford 0-2) Team LOB: 9 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Núñez (6, 2nd base off Ottavino/Wolters) | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Coors Field, Denver, CO |
| Attendance | 27,663 (54.9% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:59 |
| Weather | 42 degrees, cloudy |
| Wind | 9 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Pat Hoberg, First Base - Rob Drake, Second Base - Clint Fagan, Third Base - Gerry Davis |
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