SAN FRANCISCO – The biggest impression Jordan Lyles left in his latest start came with his bat.
The pitcher’s two-out double in the third inning snapped Yusmeiro Petit’s major-league record of 46 consecutive batters retired. The hit was one of the few bright spots in the Colorado Rockies’ third consecutive loss to the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 on Thursday.
Lyles (6-2) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings. He pulled Petit’s four-seam fastball clocked at 89 mph to left field to carve out his own place in baseball history.
“That might be a trivia answer some day,” Lyles said.
One strike shy from a perfect game last September, Petit refused to let another chance at the record books slip away.
Petit (4-3) got the first eight hitters, establishing the mark by striking out Charlie Culberson. That broke Mark Buehrle’s record of 45 in a row with the Chicago White Sox in 2009.
The announced sellout crowd of 41,017 at AT&T Park gave Petit a standing ovation after he fanned Culberson. The string ended two pitches later when Lyles doubled, and Charlie Blackmon followed with a single to drive in Colorado’s only run.
“I was a little nervous when the hitters were advancing toward the record. But in that pitch to the pitcher, I was not nervous,” Petit said through a translator. “I was doing my job. The first pitch was fine. The second pitch was fine, too, but it slid a little bit where I didn’t want it to.”
Petit’s streak covered eight games, six of them in relief. He also surpassed Jim Barr’s NL record of 41 in a row with the Giants in 1972, carving out his own slice of baseball lore after Eric Chavez wrecked Petit’s perfect game against Arizona with a two-out single in the ninth last year.
The 29-year-old journeyman from Venezuela made the start in place of struggling Tim Lincecum, who was available out of the bullpen. Petit gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked none, pitching out of the stretch the entire game.
Gregor Blanco hit a two-run homer, Angel Pagan had three singles, and two others drove in a run to supply all the support Petit needed.
Jean Machi and Sergio Romo each tossed a scoreless inning of relief, and Santiago Casilla pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save in 16 chances.
“We just had a hard time scoring enough runs to win in this series,” Rockies’ manager Walt Weiss said. “We didn’t have a lot of opportunities. It’s not just the park; it’s the guys who are taking the ball on the mound.”
H H H
Rockies left-handed pitcher Jorge De La Rosa remains on track to make his next start Sunday at Arizona after bruising his left thumb while batting Tuesday.
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive day with what Bochy called “general soreness.” He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
Giants first baseman Michael Morse was given the day off.
H H H
Giants first baseman Brandon Belt’s wife, Haylee, gave birth to the couple’s first child Wednesday night. A team spokesman said the boy, Greyson Ellis Belt, was 10 pounds and 20½ inches.
H H H
Rockies catcher Jackson Williams singled to center in the fifth for his first career hit. Williams was drafted in the first round by the Giants in 2007 before signing a minor-league deal with Colorado this year.
“I’ve been talking with the guys here about being called up in San Francisco after spending six years with those guys; it’s something cool to remember,” Williams said.
H H H
Rockies right-handed pitcher Christian Bergman (1-2, 6.75 ERA) will start the opener of a three-game series at Arizona. He earned his first career victory in his last start against Miami, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Giants right-handed pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (7-9, 3.78 ERA) will go for his first victory at home since May 24 when he will take the mound in the opener of a three-game series against Milwaukee.
