Conforto homers to spark 6-run inning and Giants beat skidding Rockies 8-6

DENVER (AP) — Michael Conforto homered and singled in a six-run second inning that sent the San Francisco Giants past the struggling Colorado Rockies 8-6 on Wednesday night.

Blake Sabol and Conforto each finished with three of San Francisco's 13 hits. Jordan Hicks pitched five effective innings and the Giants won their second in a row after a four-game losing streak to secure the series win against Colorado.

After a 5-0 victory Tuesday over the Rockies, it was just the third time this season the Giants scored five or more runs in consecutive games.

“It’s very encouraging,” LaMonte Wade Jr. said. “We’ve been working hard at it, so to see it come to fruition the last two nights has been really good. We’ve got to keep building on that and come out strong tomorrow.”

Mike Yastrzemski had two hits, including a triple, and Sabol delivered an RBI double. San Francisco withstood a two-run homer by Elias Díaz off Camilo Doval with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Sean Bouchard had three hits for the Rockies, who have lost four straight and nine of 10. They own the worst record in the majors at 8-28 and remain the only club without a series victory or successive wins this season.

“We hung in there,” manager Bud Black said. “We kept getting some guys on base, but the double play tonight sort of killed us three different times. That happens. That’s baseball.”

Charlie Blackmon added two hits and two RBIs, pushing his career RBI total to 760 and tying Nolan Arenado for fourth in Rockies history. Díaz had three RBIs.

Hicks (3-1) allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out five.

Peter Lambert (2-2) went three innings and permitted seven runs on nine hits.

The Giants matched their biggest inning of the season in the second, which began with Conforto’s leadoff homer on the first pitch he saw from Lambert.

Jung Hoo Lee helped keep the outburst going with an RBI double. Wade had a two-run single and Heliot Ramos, recalled from the minors earlier in the day, added an RBI single. Yastrzemski scored from third on Nick Ahmed’s sacrifice, beating the throw home from Lambert with a headfirst slide.

Brenton Doyle tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second, but the Giants got another run in the third on Sabol’s RBI double.

“They hit some pretty good pitches. But overall, kept the ball in the ballpark here,” Hicks said. “Doyle put some good wood on it but besides that, we got an early lead and just tried to keep them at bay.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: DH Jorge Soler was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain, retroactive to Sunday. Ramos was recalled from Triple-A to fill Soler's roster spot.

Rockies: 1B/OF Kris Bryant, sidelined the last three weeks by a lower back strain, has resumed baseball activities in the past couple of days. He has been taking swings in the batting cage and was on the field before the game taking grounders. ... OF Nolan Jones, who went on the 10-day IL effective April 29 with a lower back injury, is expected to resume baseball activities Thursday or Friday. Both are likely to have a minor league rehab assignment before returning to the Rockies.

UP NEXT

Giants RHP Keaton Winn (3-4, 4.41 ERA) is slated to pitch Thursday’s series finale against RHP Cal Quantrill (1-3, 4.31).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon follows the flight of his RBI single off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks in the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks works against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada, left, congratulates left fielder Michael Conforto after the team's win in a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Peter Lambert waits after giving up a solo home run to San Francisco Giants' Michael Conforto, back, during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Francisco Giants left fielder Michael Conforto, center fielder Jung Hoo Lee and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, from left, celebrate after the team's win in a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Francisco Giants' Michael Conforto circles the bases after hitting a solo home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Peter Lambert during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Francisco Giants' Michael Conforto breaks from the batter's box after singling off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Peter Lambert during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal did its part by earning a comeback win over Everton on the last day of the season but the 20-year wait for a Premier League title goes on.

Kai Havertz scored in the 89th minute to give Arsenal a 2-1 victory on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough as Manchester City secured its fourth straight league title by beating West Ham 3-1 at home.

At least the late goal provided a bit of a gloss on a day when any hopes of an unlikely title win quickly disappeared.

Mikel Arteta’s team entered the day with a chance of earning the club’s first league title since the 2003-04 “Invincibles” side, but needed to both beat Everton and hope City would somehow drop points against West Ham.

But a raucous Emirates Stadium was quickly quieted when City was 2-0 up within 18 minutes in Manchester and Idrissa Gueye’s deflected free kick gave Everton the lead in the 40th in north London.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Arsenal's Leandro Trossard, left, and Everton's Seamus Coleman battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Arsenal's Kai Havertz, left, and Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Arsenal's Kai Havertz, left, and Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)