Giants 7, Rockies 0
DENVER -- Beginning the season with three straight losses had put the Giants on the cusp of dubious history. They last started the season with four straight defeats in 1950, when they were still based in New York, and the Giants avoided that season-opening stumble for the first time since moving to San Francisco in 1958 by beating the Rockies 7-0 on Monday to spoil Colorado's home opener.
Instead, it was the Rockies who made unwanted history at the outset of their 20th season. They were shut out in their home opener for the first time as they flailed away without success against left-hander Barry Zito.
He held them to four hits while throwing his first shutout since April 18, 2003, against the Rangers while pitching for the A's. The complete game was Zito's first since June 18, 2010, at Toronto.
Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and after Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin's wildness helped the Giants score twice in the third, Brandon Crawford doubled home three runs in the fifth when the Rockies made two errors.
The Rockies had three at-bats with a runner in scoring position against Zito and never got a runner to third base. Zito struck out four, didn't issue a walk and threw 114 pitches, 71 for strikes.
Fastball command was again elusive for Chacin, who issued five walks and needed 90 pitches to complete four innings. After Melky Cabrera squibbed a single down the third baseline, switch-hitting Sandoval homered on the first pitch from Chacin, who labored through a 43-pitch third when he threw just 20 strikes and walked four, including three in succession with one out.
Hector Sanchez singled home one run, and the Giants added a second on a ground out as first baseman Todd Helton made a backhanded stop on a ball hit by Angel Pagan.
Matt Reynolds made his 2012 debut in the fifth when the Rockies suffered a defensive letdown. Aubrey Huff led off with a fly to short left field that Carlos Gonzalez dropped. After Sanchez's single, the Giants loaded the bases when shortstop Troy Tulowitzki fielded Pagan's grounder in the hole but made a low throw to second that Marco Scutaro couldn't handle on a bounce. Crawford, with just one hit in his first 12 at-bats, cleared the bases with a double into the left-field corner.
The Rockies, losers of three straight after their Opening Day win at Houston, have scored 10 runs in four games. They have gone hitless with runners in scoring position in 13 consecutive at-bats and are 3-for-21 (.143) in such situations.
Notes: Left-hander Drew Pomeranz will start Tuesday for Double-A Tulsa at Corpus Christi and make his 2012 debut for the Rockies on April 15 against the Diamondbacks. Because of Tuesday's off day, the Rockies don't need a fifth starter until April 15, and they want to limit Pomeranz's innings to about 170 after he threw 119 1/3 innings in his first full professional season last year...After going 1-for-10 with five strikeouts in the first three games, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt wasn't in the lineup Monday. Manager Bruce Bochy said Belt admitted he was pressing, which Bochy said shouldn't happen this early in the season but was a natural reaction for a young player... Rockies third baseman Chris Nelson went 0-for-3, leaving him hitless in 10 at-bats this season with one ball hit out of the infield...To get more speed in the spacious Coors Field outfield and with starter Barry Zito a fly ball pitcher, Bochy put Huff, who had been playing right field, at first base and started Gregor Blanco in right.
