Estrada, Gausman lead Giants past Rockies, 10-5

DENVER (AP) — The San Francisco Giants got to Denver late and woke up early. They had just played an intense series against a longtime rival, so a letdown in Colorado would have been excusable.

With the division lead on the line, they had plenty of energy.

Thairo Estrada hit two of San Francisco’s four home runs, Kevin Gausman pitched seven solid innings and the Giants beat the Rockies 10-5 on Monday to maintain their one-game advantage in the NL West.

“This group came ready to play today. Late flight last night, get in at 1:30 in the morning,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “The whole crew has a very, very quick turnaround and tired eyes this morning. These guys got ramped up well, got prepared and ready to hit, obviously, from the first pitch.”

The major league-best Giants (88-50) took two of three from the rival Dodgers over the weekend to regain sole possession of first place. Los Angeles won 5-1 in St. Louis on Monday.

Sunday’s game finished around 8:30 p.m. Colorado time and Monday’s first pitch was 2:10 p.m. Instead of looking like a tired bunch, the Giants jumped on the Rockies early and cruised to a win.

“I was expecting everyone to be a little sluggish. We expended a lot of energy that last series, just mentally, being locked in every single pitch,” Gausman said. “From the get-go they were locked in and making (Kyle) Freeland work.”

Darin Ruf homered on the third pitch of the game and Buster Posey also went deep to give San Francisco 206 home runs this season. Toronto also connected four times Monday at Yankee Stadium to retain the big league lead with 210.

Handed an 8-1 lead by the fifth, Gausman (13-5) allowed three runs and five hits in giving the Giants’ overworked bullpen a rest. He also singled and scored a run.

“I wanted to go at least seven; that was the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Estrada-Gausman-lead-Giants-past-Rockies-10-5-16439122.php