11 and 11

Madison Bumgarner looked good last night and the Giants hitters continued to barrage the Roxies with runs.  You need to do that in Coors Field.  Maddy went six, and probably could have gone a few more.  In that time, he threw 106 pitches and gave up only 1 run, a sixth-inning bomb to a young Rockie, shortstop Josh Rutledge.  He gave up only 5 hits on the day, and K'ed 7, but the dog days, you know.  Besides, the Giants were up 6-1 at that point.  Good thing they weren't finished scoring, though, as the Rockies immediately began picking away at that lead, scoring 2 in the 7th, 2 more in the 8th and one in the 9th.  Fortunately, the Giants added 4 in the 8th, with rbis by Pagan, Theriot, Posey and Blanco, and a bit of an assist from third baseman Wilin Rosario.  One more in the ninth on a bases-empty shot by Angel Pagan made it 11 runs.  The Giants left 11 men on base, which I think is more than they put on base in some series of recent memory.

Hits!  The Giants got 17 of 'em.  Every one of the starting hitters contributed, as did Brandon Belt.  Madison Bumgarner did not get a hit, and I bet that pisses him off.  Pagan, 4 for 6 with 3 rbi.  It really, really helps to have him hitting.  Posey, 3 for 6 with 3 rbi and a home run (in the first, to get the Giants rolling).  Impressive, you say?  A .500 clip is pretty much what Mr. Posey has done since the All Star break (.453).  Jeff Francis, a mainstay of the Rockies rotation, got the L.  Again, we go into the third game of a series, again seeking a sweep.  Man, this team can be schizophrenic.  Looked like crap last week, now in Coors Field, away from our "home field advantage" we are good again.

One concern remains relief.  Penney got a short hook last night after giving up 2 runs in the 7th inning.  Hensley was worse, giving up another 2 in 1/3.  Romo replaced him, immediately gave up a hit, then righted the ship and made it through the 8th.  We also used two pitchers in the 9th, Lopez and Casilla for the final out.  I'm sure Bochy would have rather had a bit more relaxed, cruise control sort of a last few innings, but c'mon, it's Coors.  Another concern:  LA.   They went and picked up Joe Blanton and put a waivers claim on Cliff Lee.  They have money and will spend more than they have, and be allowed to by MLB, I have no doubt.  Not quite sure how MLB can approve trades in fire sales like they do, but they probably make different rules for different teams.  In any case, I actually feel bad for Philly fans.  Not because they are in last place, but because the owner has decided to piss all over the fan-base's support and sell anything that isn't nailed down.  Speaking of which, Hunter Pence had his first hit as a Giant.  I expect many more.