Gilbert's 3-hit day, Hill's RBI in debut propel Giants over Rockies

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ offense has been in a lull lately, but the unit got a big boost from a pair of young outfielders on Saturday.

Drew Gilbert went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Turner Hill delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly that sparked a six-run fourth inning, helping the Giants cruise to a 7-1 win over the Rockies at Oracle Park.

Gilbert tied the game at 1 with a solo shot off Colorado right-hander Michael Lorenzen in the bottom of the third before the Giants broke the game open with their extended rally the following inning.

Jung Hoo Lee and Osleivis Basabe led off with back-to-back singles and Drew Cavanaugh walked to load the bases for the 27-year-old Hill, who was selected from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday and started in left field in his Major League debut on Saturday.

Hill was riding a franchise-record 26-game hitting streak at Sacramento at the time of his promotion and enjoyed a productive first day in the big leagues despite finishing 0-for-3 against the Rockies. He drove in the first run of his career with a sac fly to center field, drawing massive cheers from the dozens of family and friends that traveled to San Francisco to be on hand for his debut.

“I would have liked the knock today, but that at-bat I was just trying to get something up and hit something in the air to drive the run in,” Hill said. “I think I got a changeup up and did enough to get the job done.”

Gilbert extended the Giants’ lead to 4-1 with a two-out, two-run single to center before Rafael Devers tacked on another run with a ground-rule double to left field. Bryce Eldridge later capped the big inning with an RBI single up the middle.

It marked the third time the Giants have scored six or more runs in a single inning at home this season. The frame also exceeded the total number of runs the club had scored over its last three games combined (4).

The Giants’ lineup has been thinned by the injuries to Willy Adames (low back strain) Matt Chapman (core muscle surgery) and Casey Schmitt (left knee surgery) and the trades of Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos, but those absences have created more opportunities for young players like Gilbert, who is batting .319 with a .910 OPS and two home runs over his last 18 games.

“I just think he’s competitive,” manager Tony Vitello said. “When you consistently always want to improve and do better, you start to solve problems. The best guys I’ve been around are problem-solvers. It all starts with competitiveness. All it takes is some work. I think he’s slowly made adjustments throughout the whole year. He and [hitting coach] Hunter [Mense] are pretty close. I think he’s done a pretty good job of looking for his pitches. And then again, [infield coach Ron Washington] always says it, the more reps you pile up, the better you get at something.”

Logan Webb earned the win after holding the Rockies to one run on four hits over six innings. The 29-year-old right-hander walked none and struck out seven in the 80-pitch gem, which lowered his ERA to 3.50 over 22 starts this year. He’s been especially sharp in August, logging a 0.90 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 20 innings in three outings.

“Just being [able] to mix and adapt,” Webb said when asked about the keys to his success. “I know I didn’t throw many two-seams today. That’s just kind of how the game went. But I think it’s just being able to mix things and try different things. Today my four-seam was working, so I went to that well a little more than usual. I feel like I’ve been able to do that a little better recently.”

Webb likely would have gotten a chance to pitch deeper in the game if he hadn’t taken a 102.1 mph comebacker off his right shoulder/lat area in the top of the fifth. Head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner immediately came out to check on Webb, but the three-time All-Star was cleared to stay in the game after throwing one warm-up pitch off the mound.

Still, Vitello said Webb’s shoulder started to tighten up on him later in the game, which prompted the Giants to turn the game over to their bullpen in the seventh.

“I think everyone in San Francisco knew he wasn’t going to come out of the game, but I think Groesch was on top of it and knew that thing would tighten up,” Vitello said. “It kind of hit him fairly square. If it’s a playoff game, he’s probably not coming out, but it did start to tighten up, so it was probably the best thing to do there.”