Tyler Fitzgerald kept his hot streak going with two home runs, Kyle Harrison matched his career best with 11 strikeouts, and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Friday night.
Fitzgerald hit two home runs, each driving in two runs, and became the first Giants player to hit seven home runs in an eight-game stretch since Barry Bonds in 2004. The rookie shortstop had a five-game home run streak that ended on Wednesday.
“It’s one of those weird things that’s going to happen,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m not up there trying to hit homers, but God’s got plans in store for me, I guess. I don’t know what to say about it.”
Fitzgerald mentioned this is probably the most home runs he has hit in an eight-game period in his life and said he is seeing the ball well.
“Earlier in the year when I wasn’t playing much, I was just trying to get on base,” Fitzgerald said. “Now I’m kind of going up there not to hit a homer, but swinging a little bit harder and trying to do damage.”
Harrison (6-4) limited the Rockies to one run on just one hit. He struck out six of the last nine batters he faced and tipped his cap to the home crowd after leaving the game following a two-out walk in the seventh. He improved to 3-0 in five career starts against the Rockies.
Manager Bob Melvin praised Harrison for pitching deep into the game, especially with the teams set to play a doubleheader on Saturday.
“Probably the first time he’s thrown 106 pitches in his career, I’m sure,” Melvin said. “But we needed it today.”
Rockies manager Bud Black said before the game that Harrison has “had our number.”
“The thing that’s gotten us is his fastball — sneaky velocity at the top of the zone,” Black said. “And we just haven’t been able to handle it.”
Jorge Soler also had three hits, including a leadoff home run, reaching base all five times. Soler hit a hanging offspeed pitch from Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (2-4) to start the game and added RBI singles in the second and fourth innings.
