After Vogey's gem, Giants hang on vs. Rockies

DENVER -- Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong tossed six scoreless innings, and San Francisco poured on enough offense late, helping the Giants to an 11-8 win in Friday's series opener at Coors Field.

Vogelsong (3-2) held the Rockies to two hits and struck out five. The Giants led, 1-0, before Brandon Belt launched a two-run, 475-foot homer into the upper deck in the sixth off Kyle Kendrick (1-6). The Giants had five hits, including Buster Posey's two-run double, in a four-run seventh.

"He just seems to keep guys off balance and makes sure not to let them put the good part of the bat on the ball," Belt said of Vogelsong.

Video: SF@COL: Vogelsong strikes out five over six innings

The Rockies cut it to 7-3 in the bottom of the seventh on DJ LeMahieu's three-run homer and brought the tying run up with two out in the eighth before Sergio Romo forced a Nick Hundley groundout. After the Giants' four-run top of the ninth, five straight Rockies singles and Ben Paulsen's RBI double in the bottom of the inning, sandwiched around a one-hour, 44-minute rain delay, plated four runs and again brought the tying run to the plate before Santiago Casilla finished off the save.

"That was a typical Coors Field ballgame," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I've been in a few of them."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Conquering Kendrick: The Giants had one run and two hits off Kendrick through five innings, but at-bats like Belt's 12-pitch confrontation in the second inning (which ended with a popup) drove up his pitch count. San Francisco left the bases loaded in the third while scoring one run, but made Kendrick work some more by sending seven batters to the plate. Kendrick threw 103 pitches in 6 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on five hits.

DJ ends the run: LeMahieu's home run not only got the Rockies on the board, but it also ended the Giants' consecutive scoreless innings streak at 34, dating to the ninth inning of Sunday's win over the Reds.

Video: SF@COL: LeMahieu lines a three-run homer to right

Acrobatic Arenado: Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado made a diving stop on Matt Duffy's chopper to open the third, rose and threw him out at first. But the diving, then and later in the game, caught up to Arenado. After the rain delay, Michael McKenry hit for him and delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

Video: SF@COL: McKenry's pinch-hit single drives in Ynoa

"On Duffy's line drive, I landed crunched instead of extended and the right side of my lower back kind of spazzed out," Arenado said. "This happens all the time when I dive for ground balls. I was diving a lot out there. Before my last at-bat, Doogie [head athletic trainer Keith Dugger] said, 'Get ready for tomorrow, because we're playing a doubleheader.' I'm playing both games."

Adding on, and on, and ... Bochy is among the legion of managers who stress the importance of "adding on" to a hard-fought, slim lead, following the logic that one run is not enough. The Giants accomplished this with four-run outbursts in the seventh and ninth innings.

QUOTABLE
"That was very strange to watch the fireworks before the game was over. Guess you got to make the fans happy, so they can leave." -- LeMahieu on the odd spectacle of the Coors Field fireworks show going on during the rain delay. Immediately after the last explosion, the grounds crew removed the tarp.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Posey's walk with the bases loaded was the fourth RBI walk of his career.

Video: SF@COL: Posey's bases-loaded walk gives Giants lead

REPLAY REVIEW
Immediately after Belt homered, Bochy challenged a sixth-inning ruling involving Hunter Pence, who tried to beat out a ground ball and was called out. Following a video review, the ruling on the field was confirmed.

Video: SF@COL: LeMahieu throws to first to retire Pence

WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: Bochy likes to use his entire roster, so he'll probably welcome Saturday's day-night doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies as a chance to get each of his position players a start. Bochy would rather not go through the bullpen in this manner, however. The Giants play their next series at another hitters' haven, Milwaukee's Miller Park, so Bochy is leery of exhausting his relievers.

Rockies: David Hale returns to the Majors and will start the second game of Saturday's day-night doubleheader, while Rockies reliever Brooks Brown is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list.

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