Rockies mow down Giants as Feltner dominates in return from injured list

DENVER — Rockies Report, Game 59:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Ryan Feltner threw six shutout innings and leadoff hitter Jake McCarthy battered the San Francisco Giants with a 3-for-4, 4-RBI night that included a two-run homer as the Rockies took a first-inning lead and pulled away for an 8-3 triumph in front of 31,085 at Coors Field on Saturday evening.

The victory clinched a series win for the Rockies — their first after nine-consecutive series defeats covering the entire month leading up to this weekend and the final three days of April.

McCarthy set the tone from the jump, drawing a leadoff walk from Giants starter Adrian Houser, who struggled as the patient Rockies drove up his pitch count. In the first inning, Houser walked two batters and plunked Sterlin Thompson with the bases loaded; even though the Rockies left the bags full when Edouard Julien struck out to end the frame, the 37-pitch inning set a tone for what was to follow.

Houser managed to get through the second inning in 1-2-3 fashion, and then escaped unscathed after a pair of third-inning singles from Hunter Goodman and Troy Johnston, but in the fourth inning, the Rockies began firing away. With Julien on first base, McCarthy fired a 427-foot howitzer into the right-field seats, doubling the Rockies’ lead to 4-0. A pair of singles followed in the inning, chasing Houser after 3 2/3 innings and 92 pitches.

JAKE!!! pic.twitter.com/rMOwa9E85P

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 31, 2026

McCarthy tacked on RBI singles in the fifth and seventh innings as Colorado pulled away. Kyle Karros added to the lead with a solo home run into the Rockies’ bullpen to lead off the seventh inning. It was his third home run of the season and his first major-league homer in a pinch-hit role. The blast also launched a three-run inning that put the game out of reach.

All of the Giants’ offense came at the expense of reliever Blas Castaño, who surrendered a two-run homer to Drew Gilbert in the eighth and a triple and an RBI single in the ninth. But those were window-dressing runs as the Rox won consecutive games for the first time since May 7-8.

Colorado improved to 22-37. With a win Sunday, the Rockies would pull themselves out of last place in the National League West.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

With José Quintana on the 60-day injured list, the Rockies desperately need one of their starting pitchers to step up and replace the solid starts he’d provided before he suffered an elbow sprain last Sunday in Arizona. If Feltner has some more starts like he did Saturday, he could answer the call.

Working efficiently, Feltner completed the first inning in seven pitches. He had two more sub-10 pitch innings — the fifth (eight) and the sixth (nine). He didn’t walk a single Giant and scattered the four hits he surrendered, never allowing more than one per inning. A pair of double plays wiped out two leadoff singles and helped ensure that he faced just two batters above the minimum in his six innings of work.

The game was also Feltner’s first quality start in his last seven trips to the mound. His last quality start came on April 22, 2025 at Kansas City.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: McCarthy and TJ Rumfield delivered back-to-back RBI singles to push Colorado’s lead to 8-0 in the seventh inning.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 0 — Walks allowed by Feltner. It was his first start without delivering a free pass in 19 opportunities, since Aug. 7, 2024.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rockies go for their third sweep of the season and their first since April 24-26 against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Tanner Gordon will make his second major-league start of the season; the Giants will counter with left-hander Robbie Ray. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. MDT at Coors Field.

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