SF Giants blow lead as Kilian allows game-tying, game-winning homers in ninth to Rockies
There is truly no such thing as a safe lead at Coors Field. Caleb Kilian learned that the hard way.
The Giants suffered an absolutely devastating 8-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Friday night as Kilian allowed a game-tying three-run home run to Hunter Goodman, then the walk-off two-run homer to Ezequiel Tovar.
“The last inning, obviously, is a bitter pill, one that we’ve experienced before,” manager Tony Vitello told reporters in Denver. “Park plays into it a little bit, but truly, their hitters all took good swings. … Their hitters took good swings off all of our relievers, for the most part other than maybe (Erik) Miller.”
The bottom of the ninth inning began on an ominous note for San Francisco (22-35) when Jake McCarthy led off the inning with a single on a grounder that bounced off first base. Following a single by Tyler Freeman, Goodman absolutely blasted a no-doubt three-run home run to tie the game at six apiece.
Three batters after the Giants lost the lead, they lost the game entirely. Kilian got the second out of the inning by recording a strikeout, but Willi Castro’s two-out single set the table for Tovar, who homered off Keaton Winn in the bottom of the eighth. Tovar ambushed Kilian’s first offering, pulling a two-run homer over the left-field fence to hand the Giants their fourth straight loss.
Two-time All-Star Logan Webb, who also returned from the injured list on Friday, was so-so in his first start since May 5. Over 4 1/3 innings, Webb allowed one earned run with five strikeouts to three walks.
“For the most part, it was probably the best I’ve felt physically all season, which is a step in the right direction,” Webb said. “I think that was the main objective, but I thought the stuff was good. I thought the velo was better. … It’s a hard place because stuff doesn’t move the exact same here, but I played here long enough to make an adjustment.”
Kilian’s blown save spoiled what had been a sensational all-around game by right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who returned from the injured list on Friday along with Webb. Lee tallied four hits, two runs scored, three singles, a double and a pair of run-saving catches.
Lee made his first impressive catch of the evening with two outs and a runner on third in the bottom of the fourth. The Rockies’ Kyle Karros hit an opposite-field line drive that carried to the right-field warning track, but Lee tracked down the potential extra-base hit on the run, then crashed into the chain-link portion of the fence. Lee winced as he jogged back to the dugout, rubbing his ribs in a circular motion.
The following inning, Lee made an even more difficult catch with runners in scoring position to prevent the Rockies from scoring. With two on and two out, Colorado’s Troy Johnston hit a line drive off left-hander Matt Gage right in Lee’s direction.
Lee didn’t have to travel that far to get to the ball, but he appeared to lose the ball in the lights and went into a defensive slide. As Lee hit the grass, he extended his left arm and somehow made the inning-ending catch. Back in the dugout, Gage gave Lee a big hug in appreciation of his efforts.
“He’s always locked in out there, so you got to believe that thing was directly in the lights,” Vitello said. “Then, the other catch was spectacular. Then, just at the plate, looked really comfortable, even on some of the swings. His first swing, you could tell how anxious he was to get back to playing - he about came out of his shoes and his batting gloves. So, it was fun to seeing him back in the lineup and having him active.”
Rookie Bryce Eldridge had an impressive night in his first career game at Coors Field, hitting an opposite-field double and drawing a pair of walks. First baseman Rafael Devers reached base three times with two hits and a walk, driving in a run in the top of the ninth with his first triple since July 28, 2024.
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