DENVER -- Another day against the Giants, another home run for Rockies shortstop Trevor Story. But for Nolan Arenado, who homered twice, and others, Sunday afternoon’s 6-2 victory at Coors Field was a return to the happy days that had escaped them over the last month.
And for everyone in purple, it was a taste of the type of baseball they expected to feast upon. By winning two of three, the Rockies (52-60) took their first series win since July 12-14 at home against the Reds. They’d won just three sets since the first half of June.
“The goal is to win series,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It’s been a little sporadic.”
Story, famously, receives a pack of Oreo Double Stuf cookies from a Secret (to those outside his circle) Santa with each home run and treats himself to a few on Sundays. He has to limit the intake, since games against the Giants seem to always bring sweets.
Story’s two-run, first-inning homer off starter Tyler Beede extended his streak against the Giants to five games. The run started June 28. It’s tied for the longest streak in Rockies history against a single opponent. Andres Galarraga went deep against the Cardinals in five straight, from May 28 to Aug. 22, 1996. Mike Schmidt (May 13-July 9, 1979) and Rogers Hornsby (Aug. 25-Sept. 24, 1922) are the only other players to homer in five straight against the Giants franchise.
“It’s always humbling being next to those guys -- really good ballplayers,” said Story, whose 25 homers lead the club, with Arenado at 24. “They got pretty hot. It’s cool to be beside them in that aspect.”
Additionally, since the start of the 2017 season, Story’s 17 homers against the Giants are the most by any player against a single opponent. The Brewers’ Christian Yelich has homered 16 times against the Cardinals in that period.
And Arenado, with solo shots in the first off Beede and the fifth off Andrew Suarez, just may be putting his nightmare in the rearview. During a 3-3 homestand against the Dodgers and Giants, Arenado had four multi-hit games. From June 28 to July 28, he had two. It was his 18th career multi-homer game.
More important than the swing being healthier, Arenado actually feels less sore and worn.
“It was a little of both -- physically being tired, and being a little sore it’s hard to stack on there, and also you create more bad habits,” Arenado said. “But I feel better.”
Meanwhile, Charlie Blackmon, who has maintained consistency for a couple of weeks, doubled twice and singled.
“We had a bit of a period where I wasn’t doing so great, Nolan wasn’t doing so great. ... We weren’t bad but we just weren’t that good, but all at the same time,” said Blackmon, who finished the homestand with two three-hit games and leads the Majors with 18 games of three or more hits this season. “The fortunate thing is it looks like maybe we’ll bust out at the same time.”
Pitchers show improvement
It would be a stretch to say Denver native Kyle Freeland and erstwhile closer Wade Davis are back to form after Sunday, but it was a start.
Freeland gave up solo homers to the Giants’ Donovan Solano in the first and third to run his total to 22 in 82 innings. But Freeland flashed some of the form that last year made him Coors Field’s beloved homeboy portsider -- five innings, struck out five and held the Giants to no further scoring and five hits and a walk.
Freeland left after 84 pitches, mainly because he threw extra this week in bullpen and flat-ground sessions, all to control a habit that spiraled out of hand.
“That’s been the case over the past couple of months -- before I was sent down to Triple-A, when I was in Triple-A and now,” Freeland said. “I’m constantly working on things. I’m aware that I may be throwing too much. You’ve got to be conscious of it and make sure you’re not overworking yourself to where it’s going to affect your start.”
At times, Freeland looked like the bobblehead passed out on Sunday -- seemingly stuck with his right knee up and his left planted to the rubber. The flesh-and-blood Freeland’s leg would collapse, which affected his direction down the mound and control.
Like Arenado, whose flaw affected his hitting, Freeland finished Sunday feeling better.
Davis, replaced with Scott Oberg until he can shake a bad habit of walks, struck out one and gave up a hit, but was walk-free, in the sixth.
“It looked as though his delivery was a little bit more upbeat, a little bit more aggressive,” Black said.