What we learned as Harrison leads Giants victory over Rockies originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Coors Field presented almost no problems for Kyle Harrison on Tuesday in the Giants’ 5-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
The win snapped the Giants’ four-game losing streak.
Harrison, 22, made seven starts in the majors last season and has started seven games so far this season. He had yet to pitch at Coors Field, a hitter’s paradise for many and a pitcher’s nightmare for most. Not for Harrison.
The young lefty owned the Rockies’ offense, pitching a career-high seven shutout innings. Tuesday marked Harrison’s second start without giving up an earned run in 2024, and the second time in his career.
Ryan Walker struck out the side in his first inning of relief, and Camilo Doval flirted with torture but ultimately escaped a scoreless ninth inning.
Harrison wasn’t the only Giant to play at Coors Field for the first time. Jung Hoo Lee made the most of it of his experience, going 3-for-5 at the plate. Defensively, Lee tracked a shot 398 feet to center field, jumping off the wall and catching a fly ball that had an expected batting average of .720.
The Giants’ five runs were the most in a game since April 23, a two-week stretch that spanned 12 games.
Here are three takeaways from the Giants improving to 2-6 on their current 10-game road trip.
Coors Kyle Field
Many pitchers would rather take a medical leave of absence and stay home rather than play rubber at Coors Field. Harrison is different. The Giants’ 22-year-old lefty was built for success in Colorado.
Harrison is not someone who relies on the movement of his off-speed pitches, but is rather a fast bowler, which means altitude shouldn’t be an issue for him. Coming into Tuesday, Harrison had thrown his four-seam fastball 65% of the time.
On Tuesday, Harrison threw his fastball 48 times — 56 percent of his 86 total pitches. Although the Rockies only swung and missed three fastballs, Harrison worked quickly and efficiently all night. Harrison faced 27 batters, striking out two while forcing 11 groundouts and six flyouts.
Furthermore, he was in complete control of the game. Harrison walked five batters in his last start and walked just two on Tuesday.
Giants make Hudson work
While Harrison needed just eight pitches to record three outs in the third inning, Rockies starter Dakota Hudson needed 30. The Giants worked Hudson for 18 pitches in the first inning, including a six-pitch walk by LaMonte Wade Jr. even more so in the second inning, where he threw 22 pitches.
Between the second and third innings, Hudson threw 52 pitches, but the Giants still had no runs on the board. That finally changed in the fourth inning when the Giants knocked Hudson out of the game for good.
The first three batters of the inning threw 13 pitches before Nick Ahmed reached base and drove in the Giants’ first run on a ball that traveled two feet. Ahmed’s RBI single was the sixth pitch of his at-bat.
Lee followed Ahmed’s infield single with one of his own, traveling four feet. The next hitter, Thairo Estrada, was Hudson’s last. Estrada’s fielder’s choice was Hudson’s 21st pitch of the fourth inning and his 95th of the day. Hudson tied a season high with five walks, allowing five hits and four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Old friend alert
Ty Blach isn’t the flashiest. The left-hander doesn’t play with more force. It won’t always pass the eye test. Even so, coaches and teammates always trusted him.
Rockies manager Bud Black turned to Blach to relieve Hudson in the fourth inning against the team with which Blach spent his first three years in the big leagues.
Wade introduced Blach to the game by hitting a rope in center field, hitting Ahmed and Lee.
Blach then enjoyed two consecutive 1-2-3 innings before the heart of the order got to him in the seventh. The Giants singled him twice, walked once and scored a run against him in the inning before Black relieved Blach with two outs and the bases loaded.
Blach allowed one earned run on four hits, one walk and two strikeouts in three innings out of the bullpen. He has now allowed nine earned runs in five games, 14 2/3 innings, against the Giants in his career.
