SAN FRANCISCO -- Manager Walt Weiss said this week the Rockies' bullpen would be important during this current road trip. He never expected to need it as much as Saturday afternoon.
Starting pitcher Brett Anderson left the game after pitching three innings because of a bruised left index finger that he suffered batting in the top of the fourth. A parade of relievers protected a one-run lead the rest of the way, and the Rockies took a 1-0 victory at AT&T Park in front of 41,917.
 
Rockies' bullpen steps up to deliver 1-0 shutout of Giants
 
Tommy Kahnle (2-0) gave up a leadoff double and a walk in the fourth, but he ended up with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings. Matt Belisle and Adam Ottavino added clean, one-strikeout innings. Rex Brothers bailed out left fielder Carlos Gonzalez, who lost Brandon Crawford's one-out double in the eighth in the sun, and LaTroy Hawkins earned his second save.
The bullpen extended its scoreless streak to 13 2/3 innings. The teams have split the first two games of their first series this year.
The big drama came in the eighth.
After Crawford's sun-aided double -- Gonzalez also had trouble with a Hector Sanchez fly ball the previous inning -- Brothers would walk the bases loaded with two outs.
With an 0-2 count to Pablo Sandoval and catcher Wilin Rosario set up on the inside corner, Brothers missed outside and in the dirt. But Rosario, maligned for his defense since skipping Double-A to make the Majors in 2011, made an awkward but necessary backhand stop. On the next pitch, Brothers hit his spot in the dirt with a slider and Sandoval swung over it.
Giants right-hander Matt Cain struck out eight in seven innings, but like almost everyone else so far this season, he couldn't solve Rockies leadoff man Charlie Blackmon, who had two hits to push his batting average to .500. It was Cain's leadoff walk to Blackmon in the third, however, that did the most damage.
Brandon Barnes singled, and both he and Blackmon advanced on a double steal. Cain fanned Gonzalez, who fell to 4-for-44 in his career against the right-hander. But Troy Tulowitzki, returning to the starting lineup for the first time since Tuesday as he and the club navigated through his right quadriceps strain, drove in Blackmon with a sacrifice fly into short right field.
Thomas Harding / MLB.com
 

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