Lincecum holds off Rockies

DENVER -- As the Rockies struggled to avoid being swept for the second time this homestand, the club played a competitive game with the Giants for six innings Sunday, keeping within reach thanks to an improved pitching performance. Closing the gap was not enough to stave off defeat, however, and the Rockies lost, 8-3, leaving them an alarming 1-8 on the homestand.

Starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood, who was called up from Double-A Tulsa earlier in the day, battled his control, but allowed only one earned run in 3 1/3 innings. A first-inning error when third baseman Jordan Pacheco bobbled a potential double-play grounder from Ryan Theriot accounted for a pair of unearned runs in the first frame, giving San Francisco the lead it would never relinquish.

Chatwood gave up one more run in the top of the fourth after walking Marco Scutaro and Hector Sanchez to open the inning. He issued four free passes on the day, bringing his pitch total to 76 before the fourth inning was over and prompting manager Jim Tracy's move to the bullpen under his four-man rotation, 75-pitch approach.

Carlos Torres kept it close, allowing one more run in his 2 2/3-inning piggyback performance behind the starter, but with the Rockies trailing by three at the top of the seventh, Matt Belisle climbed the hill and gave up three runs on four hits to double the Giants' lead.

Tim Lincecum threw a quality start for the Giants, despite struggling with his command. Lincecum lasted six innings, allowing just one run on five hits and five walks while striking out three. The Rockies got an early run off him when Todd Helton doubled in the first inning and later scored on Pacheco's single up the middle. Despite walking his second batter of the inning to load the bases, Lincecum escaped the jam with a Wilin Rosario fly to right.

The Rockies were poised for a big seventh inning after reliever George Kontos walked the first two batters of the inning. Javier Lopez entered the game and struck out Helton before Carlos Gonzalez touched him for a single to center to push the Rockies' second run across. After Lopez walked Pacheco to load the bases, Sergio Romo came in and struck out pinch-hitter Matt McBride and Rosario to end the threat.

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