DENVER (AP) - Pablo Sandoval tripled in the sixth inning to complete the first cycle of his career and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Thursday night to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.
Ryan Vogelsong pitched effectively into the sixth inning and had two hits, and Brandon Belt homered for San Francisco. The Giants have won five straight and prevented Arizona from moving closer to clinching the NL West. The Diamondbacks lead the Giants by seven games with 12 to play.
Sandoval homered in the first, doubled in the second and singled in the fifth. In the sixth he hit a fly ball to the base of the wall in right-center field and beat the throw to third for the triple to complete the cycle.
The four hits all came against starter Jhoulys Chacin (11-12).
Sandoval is the 25th Giant to hit for the cycle and the first since Fred Lewis accomplished the feat May 13, 2007, also at Coors Field. It is the 10th cycle recorded at Coors Field.
Jordan Pacheco and Chris Iannetta homered for the Rockies.
The Giants built an early lead on Sandoval's bat and poor fielding by the Rockies.
San Francisco took a 2-0 lead in the first when Carlos Beltran singled with two outs and Sandoval homered into the second deck in right, his 20th.
The Giants used two Colorado errors to extend the lead in the second. Brandon Crawford scored on a throwing error by shortstop Tommy Field. Jeff Keppinger hit a sacrifice fly and Pacheco misplayed Beltran's grounder at first, allowing Cody Ross to score from second to make it 5-0.
The Rockies got one back in the third when Chacin scored from third on Mark Ellis' single. Pacheco made it 5-2 when he led off the fourth with his second home run.
San Francisco made it 7-2 in the sixth on an RBI double by Ross, who scored on a double play grounder by Beltran.
Vogelsong (11-7) allowed two runs and four hits, walked four and struck out eight in 5 2-3 innings.
Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Colorado scored three runs in the seventh on Iannetta's 13th homer and RBI doubles by Chris Nelson and Eric Young Jr.
Belt led off the ninth with his sixth homer to make it 8-5.
Chacin gave up seven runs - four earned - and nine hits, walked four and struck out one in 5 2-3 innings.
Notes: Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (hip) and 1B Todd Helton (back tightness) missed their second straight game. ... Giants closer Brian Wilson (right elbow strain) threw a side session Thursday. ... Left-hander Madison Bumgarner will face Colorado rookie right-hander Alex White on Friday in the second game of the four-game series. Bumgarner is 0-3 in five starts against the Rockies while White has never faced the Giants.
