SAN FRANCISCO_Colorado Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino has been virtually unhittable all season.
But Gorkys Hernandez didn't need to record a hit to make Ottavino pay for a mistake.
After falling behind 1-2 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, the San Francisco Giants center fielder worked the count full and drew a walk to bring in Brandon Crawford with the go-ahead run.
Thanks to Hernandez's free pass, an outstanding outing from starter Derek Holland and a save from closer Sam Dyson, the Giants took the series opener from the Rockies 3-2 to earn their 15th win of the month.
The bases loaded walk snapped a 15-inning scoreless streak for Ottavino that dated back to May 8. That was also the last day the Giants were two games above .500, but after securing their seventh victory in their last nine games, the Giants improved to 41-39.
With a 15-9 record in June, the Giants have guaranteed their first winning month in which they played a full slate of games since June of 2016.
One of baseball's most experienced teams may not have many base stealers, but the Giants had speed in the right place and veterans ready to execute against one of baseball's toughest relievers Tuesday.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning against Ottavino, outfielder Austin Slater darted home from third base and slid headfirst to score the go-ahead run on an Andrew McCutchen sacrifice fly.
McCutchen's flyball to Gerardo Parra was just deep enough for Slater to dart home and push the Giants ahead 2-1.
Although McCutchen was poised to be the hero at the plate, he couldn't corral an Ian Desmond double with two outs in the top of the eighth that helped the Rockies even the score against set-up man Mark Melancon.
Holland prides himself on an ability to go toe-to-toe with any opposing pitcher and give the Giants a chance to win, even when he's outmatched on paper. Earlier this year, he faced Nationals ace Max Scherzer and outdueled him in a 2-0 Giants win, a defining moment of the left-hander's season.
The veteran starter entered Tuesday's contest with better numbers than Rockies starter Chad Bettis, creating a situation that further stoked his competitive fire. So when Holland surrendered a solo shot to Colorado first baseman Ian Desmond to put the Giants in a 1-0 hole in the top of the second, he kicked himself for an avoidable 1-2 mistake.
Desmond carried a .213 average into the series opener against the Giants, but his second inning blast marked his fourth extra base hit and 10th hit in 27 at-bats against San Francisco this season.
After failing to strike in the bottom of the second following a pair of hits from middle infielders Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik, the Giants answered Desmond's home run in the bottom of the third.
Hernandez led off the inning against Bettis with a 415-foot smash to dead center field for his 10th home run of the season. Despite entering the year with four career home runs in four major league seasons, Hernandez's third inning round-tripper helped him become the third different Giants player to reach a double digit home run total in his 196th at-bat.
With a run of support under his belt, Holland accomplished his goal of locking up Rockies hitters while offering the Giants a chance to seize an opportunity against Bettis. Even after allowing the first two Colorado players to reach base in the fifth, Holland recorded a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to escape a jam.
He returned to the mound in the sixth and again stranded two base runners, pitching around a one-out walk to Nolan Arenado and a one-out single by Trevor Story.
Holland finished the night with a season-high 6 2/3 innings and eight strikeouts, exiting with a runner on second base in the top of the seventh. With the game hanging in the balance, Giants manager Bruce Bochy called on Reyes Moronta to relieve Holland and Moronta answered with a strikeout of second baseman D.J. LeMahieu.
The Giants failed to reward Holland for the best outing of his season, hardly challenging Bettis after Hernandez's home run. Crawford's fourth inning single was the only other hit the club manufactured against the Rockies right-hander, who began the night with a 5.23 ERA.
