The San Francisco Giants hope to continue an increasingly improbable run

On the same day that they appeared to raise the white flag when they dealt Andrew McCutchen to the New York Yankees for two prospects Xander Bogaerts Jersey , the Giants (68-68) used Aramis Garcia’s first major-league home run and Chris Shaw’s first major-league RBI to help beat the Mets 7-0 on Friday night and inch within 6 1/2 games of first-place Arizona (74-61) in the NL West.The win was the Giants’ fifth on a homestand that also has seen them lose Buster Posey and Steven Duggar to season-ending injuries.Article continues below ...The Giants, who remained eight games back in the race for the second NL wild-card berth, haven’t given up hope, as was evidenced by the sight of Posey and Pablo Sandoval, also out for the season following hamstring surgery, rooting on the club on Friday.“He’s doing fine,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Posey, who underwent hip surgery Monday. “He’ll be rehabbing for a while. I know he’s glad to get this part of it over, especially that first day or two, when you’re in a lot of pain.”Shaw, promoted earlier in the day to fill McCutchen’s vacated roster spot, eased a lot of the pain when he produced the Giants’ first run in the seventh inning Friday.Then Garcia, a catcher who had watched Nick Hundley do all the catching in the Arizona series that ended Wednesday http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-dustin-pedroia-jersey , came through with a memorable first major-league hit — a homer off Mets reliever Robert Gsellman that triggered a six-run eighth inning.The Giants are hoping for more of the same Saturday with left-hander Derek Holland (7-8, 3.65 ERA) on the mound.The veteran is unbeaten in his last seven starts, including a five-inning outing on Aug. 20 in New York in which he limited the Mets to one run and four hits in a 2-1 win.Holland did not get a decision in the victory, and has never beaten the Mets in his career, going 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts.He is scheduled to be opposed by fellow left-hander Steven Matz (5-11, 4.36), who is winless in his last four starts, having allowed 14 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings.Like Holland, Matz didn’t get credit for a win when he pitched the Mets to a 6-3 home victory over the Giants on Aug. 21. He gave up just two runs and two hits in five innings.Matz is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two career starts against the Giants.After the Giants roughed up the New York bullpen for six runs in the eighth inning Friday, the Mets called for reinforcements that are expected to join the team in time for Saturday’s game.Highly regarded reliever Eric Hanhold and minor-league mate Tim Peterson were reported to be headed west Friday night and should be ready to go when major-league rosters expand to 40 on Saturday.Hanhold, a hard-throwing right-hander, was acquired from Milwaukee as a player to be named later after the Mets dealt Neil Walker to the Brewers last September. DENVER (AP) — Late in the game, the Colorado Rockies quickly turned a pitchers’ duel into a one-sided slugfest.Pinch-hitter Matt Holliday launched his first home run of the season in the seventh inning Blake Swihart Jersey , Carlos Gonzalez sparked an eight-run eighth with a tiebreaking double and the Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 in a matchup of NL playoff contenders Saturday.“It took us a while to get going,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Then it snowballed.”The loss snapped St. Louis’ nine-game road winning streak. The surging Cardinals had won four straight and eight of 10 overall.Holliday, out of baseball before signing a minor league contract last month, was called up this week by the Rockies — his original team. His homer broke up a scoreless game and marked his first with Colorado since 2008.A seven-time All-Star who also played for the Cardinals before joining the New York Yankees last season, Holliday swung at a pitch in the dirt before connecting on John Gant’s next offering, driving it deep into the left-field bleachers.“I was a little amped up. I needed to take a breath, kind of gather myself and kind of get back into the situation,” Holliday said. “But that was fun. I enjoyed contributing. It was a cool moment.”St. Louis evened the score in the eighth. Harrison Bader doubled off Adam Ottavino to start the inning and went to third on Greg Garcia’s infield hit. One out later, Bader raced home on a wild pitch.Ottavino (6-2) retired Yadier Molina on a popup and struck out Jose Martinez, stranding two runners.After making little headway against Gant, who allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, the Rockies broke loose against the St. Louis bullpen in the eighth. They sent 14 batters to the plate against four relievers, collecting 10 hits — five of them doubles. The Cardinals made one error during the inning.Dakota Hudson (4-1) gave up a leadoff single to DJ LeMahieu and successive RBI doubles to Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado before getting Trevor Story on a groundout. The Rockies then got six straight hits against two relievers Rick Porcello Jersey , including LeMahieu’s second of the inning, an RBI single. Arenado also had two hits in the inning.“The way the game was going early, it was all about pitching,” Gonzalez said. “After Holliday hit that big home run in the seventh, we settled down. They ended up tying the game but then DJ led off with a single. I was just trying to follow up with another single, but I was able to drive the ball in the gap and DJ did a good job going from first to home. After that, the rest was hit after hit.”The game began with Gant and German Marquez alternating zeros. Marquez went seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits — all singles. He struck out nine and walked one.Gant did not allow a hit until Gonzalez’s two-out single in the fourth.“John Gant was terrific,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Holliday got him on a breaking ball. But he was fantastic. Marquez was equally as good. Just a good old-fashioned pitchers’ duel in a hitters’ ballpark. We went to the bullpen and they’ve been great. One of those days. Those days are going to happen. We’re not going to think too much about it. Just move forward.”TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: 2B Kolten Wong strained his left hamstring legging out a grounder in the second. He was replaced in the lineup by Yairo Munoz. Wong is day to day.UP NEXTCardinals: LHP Austin Gomber (3-0, 2.98 ERA) is slated to start Sunday’s series finale. He’ll try to become the first Cardinals left-hander to win at Coors Field since Kent Mercker beat Darryl Kyle and the Rockies 10-2 on July 24, 1999.Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (6-6, 4.45) is 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA over his last five starts.