Chapman & Matos Lead Giants to Rout of Rockies

Matt Chapman and Luis Matos of the Giants celebrate Matos' home run against the Rockies

Photo by Kavin Mistry/Getty Images

May 18, 2024

Giants 14, Rockies 4

SAN FRANCISCO (May 18) — Matt Chapman and Luis Matos combined for seven hits — four for extra bases — to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 14–4 blowout victory over the Colorado Rockies before 31,098 at Oracle Park Saturday afternoon.

Rockies – Giants Game Summary

The Giants jumped on Rockies starter Ty Blach early. A one-out single by second baseman Thairo Estrada and two-out double by third baseman Matt Chapman set the table for center fielder Luis Matos. Matos, who went 3-for-5 with five RBI Friday night, continued where he left off, belting a no-doubt three-run homer to left-center. It became a 5–0 game in the bottom of the second thanks to a Jorge Soler RBI double and Estrada sacrifice fly.

The Rockies responded with a three-run top of the third off Giants starter Kyle Harrison. Catcher Hunter Goodman led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. A two-out walk by Ryan McMahon, followed by a wild pitch, put runners on second and third for first baseman Elehuris Montero. His single to center plated both runners, making the score 5–3.

The Giants made it a 6–3 game in the bottom of the third thanks to a Chapman single and an RBI double from Matos. In the top of the sixth, the Rockies manufactured a run. Center fielder Brenton Doyle legged out an infield single, stole second, and scored on a Goodman single to center. But the Giants immediately got the run back in the bottom half after an RBI single from Soler. Another run in the bottom of the seventh made it 8–4. This came on a Chapman double followed by a one-out single by left fielder Heliot Ramos.

The Rout Is On

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The Giants blew the game open in the bottom of the eighth off Rockies reliever Nick Mears. Mears started off well, retiring catcher Curt Casali on a fly to right, but the inning quickly turned into a nightmare for him. Bang! Double by Soler. Bang! RBI double by Estrada. Single to right by LaMonte Wade Jr. Walk by Chapman. Two-run single by Matos. RBI ground-rule double by Ramos. Walk by Luciano. At this point, it was now a 12–4 Giants blowout. Mears struck out right fielder Mike Yastrzemski to stop the hit parade, but having thrown 42 pitches and faced nine batters, his day was done.

Tyler Kinley came in for mop-up duty with the bases loaded. His lone pitch was lined to left-center by Casali for a two-run single. The Rockies retired Luciano as he tried to go first-to-third, mercifully ending the inning and completing the scoring.

What Went Right for the Rockies

Three Multi-hit Days

Tovar, Rodgers, and Goodman rapped two hits apiece. Goodman notched the only Rockies extra-base hit of the game.

Fought Back in Third

Already down 5–0, the Rockies plated three runs in the third to get back within striking distance.

What Went Wrong for the Rockies

Mistakes in the Middle of the Zone

Blach had six pitches put in play that were over the middle of the plate. All were classified as Hard Hit by Statcast (95 mph or greater). Five of the six were hit harder than 100 mph, with only one resulting in an out. One of the six was Jorge Soler’s second-inning double, which at 114 mph was the hardest hit ball by a Giant this season. Additionally, Blach had two belt-high pitches on the inner half clobbered at over 100 mph. One was the second-inning Estrada sacrifice fly to the warning track, while the other was the third-inning Matos double to center.

“Location is critical,” manager and former pitcher Bud Black said after the game. “(Changing the) timing of hitter swings—he just couldn’t quite get there. Stuff was the same.”

Blach added, “I feel like every pitch that I did throw over the plate, they hit. They hit some good pitches, too. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Peter Lambert also had a middle-middle fastball get smoked for an extra-base hit. This came on Luciano’s leadoff double in the sixth, a 101-mph laser to left-center.

Giants Hit Parade

The Giants smashed 18 hits in the game. Ten went for extra bases, nine doubles and a homer. This was the first time they’ve hit nine doubles in a game since moving from New York to San Francisco before the 1958 season. Their last nine-double game was on April 11, 1912, when they hit 12 at Brooklyn against the Dodgers.

Matt Chapman and Luis Matos

Once again, Matt Chapman and Luis Matos smacked Rockies pitches all over the yard. Chapman went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a stolen base, and four runs scored. Matos went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, six RBI, and two runs scored. This ran Chapman’s two-day total to 7-for-8 with four doubles, two stolen bases, a hit-by-pitch, an RBI, and three runs scored. Matos’ two-day total is 6-for-10 with three doubles, a homer, and 11 RBI.

Blach said of Chapman and Matos, “It seemed like they both were staying on the ball a little better than they had been in the past, going and getting pitches away from them. Chapman’s had a couple where he’s stuck the bat out and hit doubles down the line. When things are going well, they’re going well. Matos is seeing the ball really well right now. Anything up, he’s hammering.”

“More than anything,” Black added, “pitches to hit and not quality pitches to Chapman have been the reason he’s swinging so well. If you’re swinging well with confidence and get the ball in the strike zone that’s up out over the plate, you’re gonna get base hits.”

Missed Scoring Opportunities

Despite the Giants’ hitting, the Rockies had their chances to keep pace. However, they stranded two runners in the fifth inning despite having runners on the corners with one out. Later, in the seventh, they had runners on first and second with one out only to come up empty-handed. They repeated the feat in the top of the eighth. “We had a couple of opportunities,” Black said, “and we didn’t get the hits.”

Quotes

“Overall, the pitching staff didn’t make enough quality pitches down in the strike zone or in on their hands.” — Black on the Giants’ offensive success Saturday

Quick Hits

Hunter Goodman, drafted as a catcher, made his first career start as a major league backstop Saturday. “It was a cool experience,” he said. “Doing something for the first time is always interesting, so I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. (Would have loved to) get a win, but it was good to actually do it and get some experience.” … Matos now has 17 RBI in his six games with a plate appearance this season. It’s the most in Giants history through six games with a plate appearance to start a season. In addition, it is tied with Chris Davis (Baltimore Orioles, 2013) for the most in major league history. … Sarah Langs noted that Matos is the fourth Giant with consecutive games of five-plus RBI, joining Jack Clark (1982), Don Mueller (1951), and Hall of Famer Bill Terry (1932).

Chapman’s seven hits in the past two games are the most in his career over a two-game span. … Saturday was Chapman’s second career four-hit game. The other came July 7, 2018 at Cleveland while he was with the Oakland Athletics.

Montero (1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI) is batting .323 (10-for-31) over his last nine games with a plate appearance. … Tovar (2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored) has hit safely in his last 11 games. It is tied for the second-longest active streak in the majors.

Looking Ahead

Harrison (4–1) earned the win, with Blach (1–2) taking the loss.

The Rockies (15–30) and Giants (22–25) will finish their three-game series Sunday afternoon. Dakota Hudson (1–6, 6.13 ERA) will take the hill for the Rockies against fellow right-hander Jordan Hicks (3–1, 2.44 ERA) of the Giants. First pitch will be at 1:05 pm Pacific/2:05 pm Mountain.