SF Giants Press Clips Saturday, June 17, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Buster Posey making quick recovery John Shea

DENVER — The Giants received favorable news Friday on Buster Posey , who hurt his left ankle on Thursday night’s home- swing and exited after jogging around the bases. The could return to the lineup at first base Saturday.

“Oh, I don’t know if we could’ve gotten better news,” manager said. “I thought it was going to be quite a while.” At first, that was the fear. It was the same ankle that was surgically repaired in 2011. By the end of Thursday’s game, after getting treatment, Posey was feeling much better and continued to improve Friday.

He pinch hit in the ninth Friday night and walked.

The injury to Posey left the Giants with one healthy catcher, Nick Hundley . What if something had happened to Hundley? The emergency catcher was... “He doesn’t know it, but it’s ( Gorkys ) Hernandez right now,” Bochy said. “I think you’re better off not telling somebody.”

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The news also was favorable on Eduardo Nuñez , who left Thursday’s game with left hamstring tightness after he legged out an infield single. The third baseman could pinch hit over the weekend and perhaps return to the lineup Monday in Atlanta. Bumgarner to Arizona: Rather than waiting until Sunday at , will pitch his simulated game Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Giants couldn’t get the field in Denver on Saturday and initially set it up for Sunday, but Bumgarner didn’t want to wait. He’s to throw 30 pitches and face hitters for the first time since his April 20 dirt-bike accident.

Strickland update: The Giants would like a decision on ’s suspension appeal, which was heard Tuesday. But still no word from Major League . While fans might think it’s strange that completed his suspension two weeks ago and Strickland remains in limbo, there’s a reason. Harper didn’t have an appeal hearing because he settled with MLB, which agreed to knock his suspension from four games to three rather than going through with a hearing.

The timetable worked for Washington because Harper was able to miss three games against struggling teams (Giants, A’s) and be ready for an upcoming series against the Dodgers.

If Harper did appeal, he would have gone through a process similar to Strickland’s, and it could have been equally as long.

John Shea is The ’s national baseball writer.

On deck Saturday at Rockies

12:10 p.m. NBCSBA Cain (3-5) vs. Freeland (7-4)

Sunday

2 vs. Rockies

12:10 p.m. NBCSBA Blach (4-4) vs. Chatwood (6-7)

Monday at Braves

4:35 p.m. NBCSBA Cueto (5-6) vs.

TBA

Leading off Road woes: The Giants have not had a winning trip this season. They’ve gone 2-5, 1-4, 3-6, 3-4 and 3-4. They’re 0-2 with six games left on their current trip.

San Francisco Chronicle Giants becoming historically bad, lose to Rockies John Shea

The Giants are playing like it’s 1985.

That’s not a compliment.

All bad Giants teams are measured against the 1985 team, the only one in franchise history to lose 100 games.

The 2017 Giants are on pace to lose 101 games.

Friday night’s score from Coors Field: Rockies 10, Giants 8.

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Make that four straight losses, 13 losses in 17 games and a season-high 17 games below .500. They’re 17 ½ games out of first place. The last time they were so far back before an All-Star break? Yes, 1985.

Manager Bruce Bochy, who has little patience left, was ejected in the seventh inning during a heated argument with plate umpire Gary Cederstrom, whose strike zone during a DJ LeMahieu plate appearance ticked off .

Samardzija followed Bochy off the field but not before barking at Cederstrom, having been pulled after he walked LeMahieu.

For the second straight game, the Giants rallied late to make it close. Thursday, they rallied from a 9-1 deficit to tie it only to lose on a walk-off single. Friday, they scored three runs the final two innings, and Buster Posey was given a chance to a game-tying homer in the ninth.

Posey, who felt much better a day after Posey hurt his ankle on a home-run swing, drew a walk off to put Denard Span at the plate with two aboard. Holland ended the game by striking out Span and retiring on a grounder.

It was a frustrating night - the latest of many - as the Giants grabbed a 4-1 lead on home runs by Panik, Span and Samardzija, the ’s third of his career and first since he was a Cub in 2013.

The lead quickly evaporated when the Rockies scored five times in the fifth inning, a rally featuring Ian Desmond’s three-run homer that made Samardzija furious. He seemed to be thinking it was a normal fly ball, but it didn’t come down until it cleared the wall.

A frustrated Samardzija returned to the mound and kicked the dirt.

A half-inning earlier, after all, was his no-doubter, estimated at 446 feet, the longest homer by a pitcher since Statcast began measuring these things in 2015. He went 191 plate appearances between homers.

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Samardzija gave up eight runs on 11 hits and was tagged with his ninth loss.

It wasn’t all his fault. The outfield had one of its worst defensive performances in recent memory, and didn’t look like his old self pursing balls in any direction.

The 1985 Giants finished 33 games behind the first-place Dodgers. Those Giants, like the current Giants, were out of the race in June.

The difference was, the ‘85 Giants were coming off a last-place finish, leading to the dismissal of manager . These Giants were supposed to contend. So when summer turns to fall, we could be talking about the possibility of the Giants setting a new standard for futility.

San Francisco Chronicle Giants get good news from sickbay on Posey, Nunez John Shea

DENVER - The Giants received favorable news on Buster Posey, who hurt his left ankle on Thursday night’s home-run swing and exited after jogging around the bases.

The catcher is available to pinch hit Friday night and could return to the lineup Saturday.

“Oh, I don’t know if we could’ve gotten better news,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I thought it was going to be quite a while.”

At first, that was the fear. It was the same ankle that was surgically repaired in 2011. By the end of Thursday’s game, after getting treatment, Posey was feeling much better. He had inflammation caused by impinged scar tissue, and he continued to improve Friday.

“We’ll just give it tonight, and hopefully we’re ready to go tomorrow,” Posey said.

The absence of Posey leaves the Giants with one healthy catcher, Nick Hundley, for at least one game. What if something happens to Hundley. The emergency catcher is …

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“He doesn’t know it, but it’s (Gorkys) Hernandez right now,” Bochy said. “I think you’re better off not telling somebody.”

The only other healthy hitter off the bench is Kelby Tomlinson.

The news also was favorable on Eduardo Nuñez, who left Thursday’s game with left hamstring tightness after he legged out an infield single. The third baseman isn’t to be available Friday but could pinch hit over the weekend and perhaps return to the lineup Monday in Atlanta.

Bumgarner flies to Arizona: Rather than waiting until Sunday at Coors Field, Madison Bumgarner will pitch his simulated game Saturday at Scottsdale, Ariz. The Giants couldn’t get the Coors field Saturday and initially set it up for Sunday, but Bumgarner didn’t want to wait. He’s to throw 30 pitches and face hitters for the first time since his April 20 dirt-bike accident.

Strickland update: The Giants would like an answer on Hunter Strickland’s appeal, which was Tuesday. But still no word from . While fans might think it’s strange that Bryce Harper completed his suspension two weeks ago and Strickland remains in limbo, there’s a reason.

Harper didn’t have an appeal hearing because he settled with MLB, which agreed to knock his suspension from four games to three rather than going through with a hearing and risk losing the appeal to the Nationals’ right fielder.

The timetable worked for Washington because Harper was able to miss three games against struggling teams (Giants, A’s) and be ready for an upcoming series against the Dodgers.

If Harper did appeal, he would have gone through a similar process to Strickland’s, and it could have been equally as long. Lengths of appeals and when they’re heard and decided are unpredictable.

So Strickland continues to wait.

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San Jose Mercury News Samardzija homers, but Giants’ shaky outfield defense dooms tem in another loss at Coors field Andrew Baggarly

DENVER – Jeff Samardzija’s bat flew out of his hands like a spinning tire iron.

He did not hide his glee upon hitting his third career Friday night. He borrowed from Jeffrey Leonard by trotting with one flap down around second base. He barked encouragement into the Giants dugout as he came around third. At the plate, he greeted with a Bash Brothers-style forearm collision.

Samardzija might have never looked happier on a baseball field. And in the bottom of the same inning, he might have never looked more hacked off.

The Giants’ outfielders were either a step short or wielded a butcher’s cleaver all night long, and this is a ballpark when you cannot give away extra outs and walk away without a scratch. Samardzija kicked dirt after giving up a three-run home run to Ian Desmond in the fifth inning, more than negating his own two-run shot in the top of the frame, and the Giants lost 10-8 to the on a warm Friday night at Coors Field.

“Yeah man, what a game we play, huh?” said Samardzija, of his cavalcade of emotions in the fifth. “That about sums it up. It’s a rollercoaster game and you’ve got to keep your head on straight.

“I thought I made some good pitches and they did a great job of staying to the opposite field especially late in the count. You tip your cap to them at times, but it’s unfortunate.”

It is all so very unfortunate. The Giants are 17 ½ games out in the NL West and have lost seven consecutive to the front-running Rockies for the first time in franchise history.

A night earlier, Giants manager Bruce Bochy lauded his team’s fighting spirit while erasing an eight-run deficit in a 10-9 loss. This time, the Giants tried their best to enter the ring but kept tripping over the ropes.

This is a huge and unforgiving outfield, and the Giants simply could not cover it as a major league team should. Hunter Pence had his second consecutive abysmal night in right field, as a number of drives eluded him and another clanked off his arm to allow a run to score.

“It’s unacceptable. I’ve got to make better plays out there,” Pence said. “The way it’s going right now, you feel a little snakebitten.”

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“Pence on the Fence” was all the rage in the 2014 playoffs, when his defense was an asset. It is looking dated now. Pence couldn’t catch DJ LeMahieu’s RBI at the fence in the third, but Samardzija gave up no other runs in his first four innings.

Denard Span and Joe Panik went deep, and Samardzija’s two-run shot in the fifth – his first since 2013 with the , and at 446 feet, the longest measured by a pitcher in the three years of the Statcast system – gave the Giants a 4-1 lead.

But the Rockies placed their hits to set up a five-run rally in the bottom of the fifth. Tony Wolters led off with a blooper to center field that appeared catchable, but went off Span’s glove for a single. Then hit a plain vanilla flare to left field that ended up rolling to the wall for a because Austin Slater had been playing shallow and a step toward the line.

It was Blackmon’s 10th triple of the season, and four have come against the Giants. A year ago, finished as the major league leader with 11 triples.

LeMahieu snuck an up-the-middle single under Panik’s glove, followed with another hit and then Samardzija followed misfortune with a badly missed location. His pitch to Desmond wasn’t anywhere near Nick Hundley’s target and Desmond sent it the opposite field and over the right field scoreboard to give the Rockies a 6-4 lead.

Was Bochy hoping it would stay in the park?

“I tried hoping too many times here, to be honest,” Bochy said. “I mean, it was flying. They’re routine outs in another park, but it’s a different game here.”

Said Samardzija: “Up in the air here, it’s a homer. We’d thrown a bunch of pitches in and he fouled a few off. We thought we had a good pitch there away, and you’d obviously like to throw it off the plate, but we’re in the heat of it and I was trying to get an out and put an end to that inning.”

The Giants had another late-inning rally in them, but they allowed themselves to fall further behind with some shoddy play and a questionable strike zone in a three-run seventh.

Samardzija tried to save the bullpen by going out for the seventh but both he and Bochy only lasted one batter. Samardzija yelled at Gary Cederstrom after the plate umpire didn’t ring up LeMahieu on a 3-2 pitch, and Bochy applied his own hot breath before drawing his first ejection of the season.

“I said he missed it, and I still believe he missed it,” said Bochy, noting that LeMahieu is 8 for 9 in the series. “We finally make a pitch to get the guy out. He’s been killing us. It’s a big out, and

8 they end up putting a crooked number up in that inning.”

The inning unraveled behind right-hander Derek Law. A passed ball set up a sacrifice fly, and then Raimel Tapia’s single to right field scored Carlos Gonzalez from first base after Pence misplayed it. Tapia advanced to third on the play, and then scored when Alexi Amarista doubled on a drive that was just beyond Pence’s reach.

It might have been the most miserable day by a Giants right fielder since that time when played there at and his teammates drew a body outline in athletic tape in the grass the following afternoon.

A day earlier, Pence apologized to left-hander when he took a step in on a ball that went over his head. He said misplaying Tapia’s ball taught him a tough lesson.

“It was almost a realization to stop trying too hard,” Pence said. “Stop trying to over-hustle. We want it so bad, and a lot of times … I mean, I know this. I preach this. The goal every day is to maximize your potential and help us win. That (doesn’t mean) trying too hard. That doesn’t work. That doesn’t get you in the rhythm.”

A 10-5 deficit was too much to overcome, although the Giants once again tried. They scored a pair in the eighth when Span tripled, Panik doubled and Pence hit an RBI single. They added a run in the ninth when Gorkys Hernandez tripled and Slater singled. Buster Posey, who did not start as a precaution because of ankle soreness, appeared as a pinch hitter.

But despite shaky command, Rockies closer Greg Holland did not blow a save for the second consecutive night. Span struck out and Panik grounded out to end it.

The Giants have scored 17 runs in two games here yet do not have a victory to show for it. And somehow, has gone hitless here in eight at-bats with three to drop his average to .221.

Expect Belt to rest and Posey to start at third base against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland on Saturday.

“We’ve just got to clean it up a little bit here,” Bochy said. “You make a mistake here, or don’t make a play, and it’ll hurt you.”

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San Jose Mercury News Giants Notes Andrew Baggarly

DENVER — Madison Bumgarner did not to wish to postpone his simulated game until Sunday, but the Rockies wouldn’t make Coors Field available early until then. So the plan changed.

Bumgarner left for the minor league complex in Arizona where he’ll face prospects on Saturday. He’s expected to throw 30 pitches or so.

Jarrett Parker (fractured collarbone) was supposed to stand in against Bumgarner, but he’ll remain with the Giants in Denver this weekend as he continues to gear up for a minor league rehab assignment.

Many Giants draftees are in camp right now getting their physicals out of the way. I have to think running into Bumgarner would be a neat way to begin their pro careers.

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No, the Giants still have no word on Hunter Strickland’s appeal, and they are not happy about it. Major League Baseball officials offered no light on the timing or the holdup, saying Executive Vice President John McHale Jr. would rule when he rules.

But with Strickland having thrown on three consecutive days, he wouldn’t be used Friday anyway except in an emergency. So even though it’s unfair that MLB has dragged this out, the best and most unselfish thing Strickland could do for his team would be to drop his appeal and begin serving his suspension Friday.

By all accounts, Strickland was hoping to get one game lopped off his six-game suspension for hitting Bryce Harper with a pitch. Since he can’t pitch Friday anyway, what good would it do at this point? Might as well start serving it now and stop complicating the team’s reliever usage and roster plans.

In the meantime, is unfairly caught in this limbo. He’s ready to return from his minor league rehab assignment, but the Giants cannot swap out a pitcher for a position player while Strickland’s suspension looms. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he spoke to Gillaspie, who understood the situation.

The Giants also scratched Triple-A Sacramento right-hander Joan Gregorio moments before the first pitch of Thursday night’s game at Las Vegas out of an abundance of caution. Matt Moore was getting hammered early at Coors Field and the Giants weren’t sure whether they would need innings coverage either because they would chew through relievers Thursday or Strickland

10 would be suspended. They were able to avoid making a roster move with Gregorio, but the River Cats had to start a reliever and got waxed 12-4.

This Strickland suspension just keeps having a ripple effect throughout the organization, and none of it is good.

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Neat note about Austin Slater, whose average stood at .405 after a 4-for-5 night Thursday: He’s the first Giants rookie to hit .400 in his first 10 big league games since (.417) in 2008.

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The Giants are 16 ½ games behind the Rockies, which is their biggest deficit prior to the All-Star break since the 1985 team that went on to lose 100 games.

They’ll try to inch a bit closer behind Jeff Samardzija, who is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in seven career games at Coors Field.

San Jose Mercury News Buster Posey’s ankle pain reminds him how far he has come since traumatic injury in 2011 Andrew Baggarly

DENVER – Buster Posey endured a daily maintenance program throughout the 2012 season on his left ankle.

He spent countless hours on the trainer’s table and in the gym getting treatment to keep inflammation at bay and completing a mindless checklist of exercises to ensure that scar tissue wouldn’t harden up and strangle his range of motion.

He kept up the protocol in part of 2013 as well. Ever since then, the catastrophic ankle injury that tore three ligaments, imperiled his career and helped to spur a major rule change became an afterthought.

Until he hit a ball over the fence in the seventh inning Thursday night, and felt a jolt of sudden pain.

Posey said he felt “confused” as he gamely rounded the bases. Why was this happening now? And on a home run swing, of all things?

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“I went back to the replay to see if I rolled it,” Posey said. “I didn’t. That force, I’m assuming, is what caused it.”

It is a small miracle, then, that Posey is not only much better but available off the bench Friday night. Trainers surmise that scar tissue became impinged in his joint and broke apart. Concerns became so mild that the team didn’t even order an MRI exam.

In this of all seasons, the Giants will celebrate good news when they stumble upon it.

“Oh, I don’t know if we could’ve gotten better news, to be honest, with the pain he was in,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who feared the worst as Posey needed help to limp down the dugout stairs. “I thought it’d be awhile.”

Third baseman Eduardo Nuñez also aggravated his hamstring in that seventh inning, and the thought is that he will manage to avoid the disabled list as well. Bochy said he expected Nuñez to be unavailable on Friday but possibly able to come off the bench Saturday. He could start on Sunday, although Monday’s series opener at Atlanta might be more likely.

In the meantime…

“My bench is a little light, to be honest,” Bochy said.

The club is down to Kelby Tomlinson and Gorkys Hernandez on the bench. (Although it’s worth including Ty Blach, who on Thursday became the first Giants pitcher since Don Robinson in 1990 to get a pinch hit, an RBI and a run scored in the same game.)

But who is the emergency backup to catcher Nick Hundley, should Posey be unable to go?

“He doesn’t know it yet, but it’s Hernandez right now,” Bochy said. “Some things you’re better off not telling somebody.”

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MLB.com Giants fall short after Rockies’ surge Chris Haft and Manny Randhawa

DENVER -- The Rockies continued their recent dominance over the Giants by winning their seventh consecutive game against San Francisco, 10-8, on a hot night at Coors Field on Friday. Following a 10-9 victory Thursday, the Rockies outslugged the Giants again, this time getting home runs from Ian Desmond and Trevor Story .

Desmond's homer was a three-run shot over the right-field wall in the fifth inning, his first at Coors Field with the Rockies. Story's was a pinch-hit solo blast in the sixth, his first homer since May 29 against the Mariners. Full Game Coverage The Rockies tacked on three runs in the seventh with a Desmond sacrifice fly, a Raimel Tapia single that Hunter Pence misplayed in right field, and an Alexi Amarista RBI double. The Giants hit three homers of their own, including a 446-foot shot over the right-center-field wall by San Francisco starter Jeff Samardzija , the longest home run by a pitcher since Statcast™ was introduced in 2015. On the mound, Samardzija didn't fare as well, surrendering a season-high eight runs on 11 hits over six-plus innings. Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela gave up five runs on six hits, walking one and striking out six over six innings. He has yielded four or more runs in five of his last seven starts. WHAT'S NEXT Giants: San Francisco will try again in Saturday's 12:10 p.m. PT rematch. Right-hander , who's 6-4 with a 4.61 ERA in 18 career appearances (17 starts) at Coors Field, will start for the Giants. Rockies: The Rockies will try to take the series from the Giants behind left-hander Kyle Freeland at 1:10 p.m. MT on Saturday. In his only career start against San Francisco, he tossed seven innings April 23 at Coors Field in an 8-0 victory.

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MLB.com Samardzija powers Statcast-record homer Chris Haft

DENVER -- Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija turned into a slugger in Friday night's 10-8 loss to the Rockies, bashing a fifth-inning home run at Coors Field that traveled a projected 446 feet, the longest homer by a pitcher since Statcast™ was introduced in 2015. Samardzija's two-out drive cleared the right-center-field barrier adjacent to the Giants' bullpen and scored Austin Slater ahead of him to give the Giants a temporary 4-1 lead. Full Game Coverage

It was Samardzija's third career home run and also his longest. His last homer, which he delivered as a member of the Cubs, was at Wrigley Field on May 15, 2013, against Colorado.

The Giants have hit seven of the 13 longest home runs by in the Statcast™ era.

MLB.com Giants relieved Posey, Nunez feeling better Chris Haft

DENVER -- The Giants received welcome news Friday when catcher Buster Posey and third baseman Eduardo Nunez arrived at Coors Field feeling much improved after sustaining left leg injuries in Thursday's 10-9 loss to Colorado. Posey, who had inflammation in his surgically repaired ankle, earned a walk as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Friday's 10-8 loss to the Rockies and could return to the starting lineup Saturday. Full Game Coverage

Giants manager Bruce Bochy's sense of relief regarding Posey's condition was considerable.

"I don't know if we could get better news, to be honest, because he was in a lot of pain," Bochy said.

Said Posey, "I'm happy with the way it feels."

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Nunez, who reported tightness in his hamstring, felt the same way, as evidenced by the smile he wore as he strode smoothly through the visitors' clubhouse. Bochy indicated Nunez was not available to pinch-hit but might be ready to come off the bench Saturday. Bochy said there's "a chance" that Nunez will start Sunday's series finale. But he seemed more likely to rejoin the lineup Monday in Atlanta.

Both Giants left Thursday's game in the seventh inning. Posey probably tore scar tissue due to the pressure on his leg as he hit his ninth home run. Moments earlier, Nunez aggravated a hamstring ailment that had required treatment since last weekend's Minnesota series. • Not wishing to wait an additional day, left-hander Madison Bumgarner was scheduled to fly to the Giants' training complex at Scottsdale, Ariz., to throw his 30-pitch simulated game Saturday. Had Bumgarner remained with the team, he wouldn't have received a chance to get on the field until Sunday. • Asked who would serve as the Giants' emergency catcher with Posey unavailable and Nick Hundley starting, Bochy replied, "He doesn't know it yet, but it's Gorkys Hernandez ."

CSNbayarea.com Sloppy defense costs Giants in back-and-forth slugfest at Coors Field Alex Pavlovic

DENVER — The secret about Coors Field is that often times it’s not the home runs that kill you. Oh they leave their mark, but it’s the bloops that turn into singles, the lazy fly balls that turn into doubles, and the gappers that go for three bases that really add up.

Because of that, this is a place where you can’t skimp on outfield defense. You will pay for your mistakes, and the Giants certainly did Friday. They might have actually completed the comeback this time, but a brutal stretch in the seventh put the finishing touches on a 10-8 loss to the Rockies.

Trailing 7-5 at the time, Bruce Bochy sent Jeff Samardzija back out on a batter-by-batter basis. Neither player nor manager lasted long. Samardzija’s 3-2 pitch to DJ LeMahieu appeared to catch the inner edge, but home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom disagreed. Samardzija felt Cederstrom gave up on the pitch too soon, missing out when it caught an inch of the plate. He pointed at Cederstrom and soon Bochy was running out to argue. He was ejected and Samardzija was pulled after six-plus up-and-down innings.

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“It was just frustration,” Bochy said. “I told him he missed it. I still believe he missed it. That's a big out. We finally make a pitch and get the guy out. That’s a big out (he missed). They ended up putting up a crooked number in that inning.”

As Samardzija walked off the field, he had a few more words for Cederstrom. He later said the umpire had a good night overall.

“We’re in the seventh inning — there are a lot of emotions,” Samardzija said. “I’m out there fighting. He’s a professional and I said what I had to say and he didn’t throw me out. The one pitch I was unhappy with was in a situation where I really needed it.”

The walk set off a comically bad stretch. A passed ball got LeMahieu to second and he scored when Carlos Gonzalez’s flare to right-center dropped just in front of Hunter Pence. That was only the beginning. Two batters later — after a sacrifice fly made possible by two defensive mistakes — Pence couldn’t handle Raimel Tapia’s single to right. It clanked off his glove and bounced toward the wall, Gonzalez scoring from first and Tapia ending up on third. He, too, would score, on a double to right that was just out of Pence’s reach.

“The ball popped up on me,” Pence said. “There might be a small part of me trying to do too much because (other) balls seemed to be just out of reach. It’s unacceptable. I’ve got to make better plays out there.”

Pence is said to be healthy, and he said the lights were not a problem. The ball has been taking off in this series — five homers were hit Friday — but outfield defense has been an issue all year, not just in this series. Per FanGraphs, the Giants’ outfield has been worth negative 30 defensive runs saved, the worst mark in the big leagues. And that was before Friday’s mistakes.

“We’ve got to clean it up a little bit here,” Bochy said.

Pence said players might be trying to do so much because they want to turn this around so badly. The emotion showed earlier, particularly on Samardzija’s two-run homer. It was his first in four years and traveled 446 feet, the longest by a pitcher since Statcast began tracking it in 2015.

Samardzija flipped his bat, held a wing up on his way around the bases, and shot out a Ric Flair scream as he crossed the plate. A few minutes later he gave up five runs, including a three-run homer to Ian Desmond that wouldn’t go out anywhere else. Samardzija wasn’t able to celebrate his homer very much, but he also didn’t blame the park for his eight-run night.

“It’s a tough place, but listen, it’s even both ways,” he said. “It helps out both teams.”

On this night, so did the Giants.

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CSNbayarea.com Instant Analysis Alex Pavlovic

DENVER — A 93-degree night at Coors Field is an absolute nightmare for pitchers, and Friday night’s action certainly lived up to expectations.

The Giants and Rockies combined for five homers, including a go-ahead three-run shot by Ian Desmond in the fifth. The Giants played sloppy defense from there, costing themselves a couple of crucial late-inning runs in a 10-8 loss.

The Giants have dropped four straight and 13 of their last 17. Yikes. Anyway, here are five things to know so you can impress the person next to you at the bar on this Friday night …

--- Samardzija is one of the few pitchers who can go toe-to-toe with Madison Bumgarner in batting practice, so it’s actually kind of a surprise that it took him 46 starts as a Giant to go deep. Samardzija hit a two-run blast in the fifth, his third in the big leagues and first since 2013. The ball went an estimated 446 feet and was the longest homer by a pitcher since Statcast started tracking them three years ago. It was also longer than any of Bumgarner’s in-game blasts.

--- Samardzija screamed as he crossed the plate. The good vibes didn’t last long. The Rockies got two runs back right away and then three more on Desmond’s two-out homer. The ball looked to be a flyout to right, but kept carrying in classic Coors Field fashion. A livid Samardzija stormed off the field at the end of the inning. He was charged with eight runs.

--- The Giants have taken a big step back defensively, and nowhere are the problems as glaring as in right field. Hunter Pence had a brutal stretch in the seventh as the Rockies tacked in three runs. He couldn’t catch up with a bloop to shallow right-center and also came up short on a liner to deep right-center. Both could have been outs. In between, a single bounced off his glove, allowing a runner to score all the way from first.

--- Bruce Bochy took his first ejection of the year after Samardzija walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh. Ball four was right on the inside edge of the strike zone and Samardzija pointed at home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom. When Cederstrom started walking toward the mound, Nick Hundley got in the way and then Bochy came out to have a few heated words.

--- Joe Panik had a homer and two doubles. He raised his slugging percentage 29 points in one night.

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ESPN.com Win, wild first inning can’t calm Joe Maddon, Cubs postgame Jesse Rogers

PITTSBURGH -- Though the Chicago Cubs won their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a six-run ninth inning Friday night, it didn't really help calm anyone in the clubhouse afterward. The Cubs were upset by an overturned home run call on Anthony Rizzo in the first inning. Rizzo thought he had led off his third consecutive game with a long ball when he crushed a Trevor Williams 1-1 pitch down the right field line, high above the foul pole. First base umpire Clint Fagan immediately called the ball fair before the umpires converged for a meeting near the pitcher's mound. They changed the call to foul and then issued a crew chief video review, which did not confirm the call, declaring only that it "stood." There's a major distinction between the two because when a call stands the decision on the field is the one that sticks.

The Cubs contend the umpires should have gone straight to replay instead of first changing the call -- so the eventual outcome would have been a home run.

Manager Joe Maddon was kicked out for arguing after the video replay, though he chased crew chief Jeff Kellogg down at third base to get his money's worth before leaving.

"You have basically neutered instant replay by the way it was handled tonight," Maddon said after the 9-5 win. "If it had been confirmed foul, I'm fine. But the play stood. So in other words if we had gone right to replay immediately after it was hit, and they said it was foul, I would have been in the game for nine innings."

Rizzo was most upset the umpires did not confer later in the game when Gregory Polanco hit a ball in a similar spot. They declared it foul, then went straight to replay. "I wish the call was confirmed," Rizzo said. "The guy made the call, then they're going to gather? Then they don't gather for Polanco's? That's kind of (bulls---), in my opinion."

Maddon never did see a replay and didn't really care if it was actually fair or foul; he was most upset with the process.

"Anthony probably had a chance to go into the record books, with three leadoff home runs," Maddon said. "Our game is based on that stuff (statistics). The first base umpire was demonstrative that baseball was fair ... Why change it?"

EDITOR'S PICKS • Rizzo, Cubs rally for 6 runs in 9th inning, beat Pirates 9-5

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Anthony Rizzo almost led off his third straight game with a homer, losing his bid on a replay reversal, before helping key a six-run rally in the ninth inning that sent the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5 Friday night.

• Cubs put Zobrist on DL with left wrist injury Cubs utility man Ben Zobrist has been dealing with a sore left wrist since injuring it on a swing in late May, and he is expected to have an MRI "to see if there is anything going on in there." That was only the beginning of a wild first inning.

Rizzo eventually walked but was forced out on a close play at third when Kyle Schwarber hit a bloop in front of Adam Frazier. The Cubs came close to challenging but chose not to, going on to score three runs in the inning. They were the Cubs' only runs until a six-run rally in the ninth.

But the first-inning drama didn't end there as starter Eddie Butler was forced to cut off the white sleeves under his jersey just after finishing warmups in the bottom of the inning. They were part of throwback uniforms both teams were wearing. Butler knew he was probably going to get caught.

"If they're going to provide it, we'll wear it," he said. "You're not allowed to wear a white sleeve."

The Cubs evened their record at 33-33 after the wild victory, winning just their second road game in their past 12.

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