D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
There were few busier players in spring training than Darin Ruf, who could be found taking ground balls at first base on one field and then shagging fly balls in left minutes later on another field. The hard work, injuries to others and a bat the Giants want in their lineup have flipped his glove to right field, but he is not a right fielder.
Perhaps Mike Yastrzemski or Austin Slater might have had a chance at Garrett Hampson’s sixth-inning sinking liner, but Ruf wanted it. He made a good break, dived, appeared to get a glove on it, juggled it between body parts, had some coffee, read the paper and then finally, at long last, the ball dropped, and the Rockies had their first hit.
History was denied Alex Wood. He had to settle for being merely brilliant and as entertaining as it gets.
The lefty was excellent for his third start in a row to start the season, worked quickly and efficiently and the Giants’ offense did more than enough in a 7-3 win over the Rockies in front of 6,163 at Oracle Park on Wednesday, taking the series ahead of Thursday’s off day.
The Giants (16-9) kept pace with the Dodgers and remain tied atop the NL West in winning their eighth in 11 games. They finished their homestand 5-2 and now head to San Diego, where the competition gets cranked up. Their pitching staff entered play with a 2.93 ERA, the second best in the majors, and Wood kept it going.
The Rockies did not have a baserunner until a one-out walk of Charlie Blackmon in the fifth and didn’t have a hit until Hampson’s drive that just, just just eluded Ruf. They eventually got to Wood, but with more luck than quality at-bats.
In the seventh, a walk to Trevor Story a C.J. Cron bloop single into shallow center — just out of the reach of Tommy La Stella — and a Blackmon dribbler loaded the bases. Yonathan Daza’s weak single between first and second brought in one, which forced Wood out. Camilo Doval entered and allowed just one run to score, a nice job by the young fireballer.
Wood was charged with two runs over six innings on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts, which greatly undersells how good he was. His two-seamer and changeup were quality, but his slider outstanding. He got 10 whiffs on 21 swings, plus seven called strikes on the pitch. The Rockies put four balls in play against it with an average exit velocity of 74.3.
After three starts, his ERA is at 1.50. His pitching was far better than his baserunning.
In the sixth, Wood was on second after a walk and saw the Colorado infield shifted over for Brandon Belt. He took off for third while Jordan Sheffield was on the mound, which did not end well. The Rockies recovered in time, and he was easily thrown out by Sheffield, finishing the play by taking a tumble in trying to avoid the tag. Wood must have smelled his second career steal, but it was not to be.
Alex Wood: Threat on the bases? ? pic.twitter.com/ul4QAqSaHy
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 29, 2021
As is turned out, all the offense the Giants needed was generated in a strange second inning. Singles from Alex Dickerson and new-Giant Mike Tauchman were sandwiched by a Ruf walk, and they loaded the bases with one out. And then Rockies starter German Marquez could not find the strike zone. He walked Curt Casali on five pitches, struck out Wood, then walked La Stella on four pitches.
Belt ironically did not work Marquez, jumping on a second-pitch fastball and lining it to center to bring in two. It was 4-0 Giants, and the way Wood was pitching, it might as well have been 40-0.
Tauchman’s Giants debut, meanwhile, could not have been much better. The lefty hitter blasted a single to right, showed off his wheels in beating out two infield singles.
In the field, he showed the legs again in the sixth. With Hampson on, Ryan McMahon drilled one 391 feet to center, which Statcast indicates had an expected batting average of .560. Yet, the 30-year-old got a good jump and chased it down at the wall. The bat, legs and glove all impressed on Day One as a Giant.
Wood’s legs were not as impressive, but his arm compensated.