In danger of being swept by lowly Colorado, the Giants' offense finally broke out Sunday in an 11-10 win over the Rockies.
It was looking bleak early on, as the Giants tallied just one run over the first five innings. But San Francisco unleashed an eight-run sixth inning to pull ahead for good and get their fading playoff hopes back on track.
The sixth-inning rally started when Thairo Estrada singled to right field and stole second base. Joc Pederson doubled to bring Estrada home, followed by four straight hits to put the Giants up 5-0. Brandon Crawford mashed a three-run homer -- his seventh of the season and first since Aug. 1 -- to make it 8-0, and Estrada finished off the scoring by bringing Mike Yastrzemski home with an RBI single.
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The Rockies responded with a five-run rally of their own in the bottom half of the inning. They trailed 11-6 entering the ninth and made things even more interesting by scoring four runs off closer Camilo Doval.
With one runner on and two outs in the ninth, the Rockies brought the game-winning run up to the plate in designated hitter Charlie Blackman, but Giants reliever Taylor Rogers retired him on a line drive to second baseman Estrada to end the game.
Crisis averted.
San Francisco Giants
Sean Manaea, after an encouraging start last week against the Cleveland Guardians, earned another opportunity to start Sunday and picked up his sixth win of the season. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits while striking out three batters in 5 1/3 innings.
Haniger broke out of a 1-for-19 slump with two hits and three RBI against the Rockies. Estrada, Pederson and Davis also notched multiple hits in the win.
The 11-run burst is the Giants' most runs scored in a game since an 11-10 win over the Cincinnati Reds on July 18.
The Giants (76-74) now are two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (78-72) and Miami Marlins (78-72), who are tied for the final NL wild-card spot. San Francisco is tied with the Cincinnati Reds (78-73) with two games in hand.
The Giants are off Monday but will continue their final road trip of the season Tuesday for a two-game set against the Diamondbacks. That series has hefty playoff implications. If the Giants take both games at Chase Field, they could control their own playoff destiny once again.