Karros Single Breaks SF Hearts in Stunning Ninth-Inning Collapse

Rafael Devers was absolutely brilliant — 3-for-3, a home run, and 3 RBI — and it still wasn't enough. Colorado stole this one 4-3 by erupting for three runs in the ninth, turning a one-run deficit into a two-run lead in the span of two at-bats.

Devers gave San Francisco every reason to feel good about this one early. He led off the scoring in the second with a 347-foot home run to right, and when he singled to right in the seventh to score Arraez and push the lead to 2-1, it looked like his night — and SF's night — was well in hand. Colorado had tied it in the fifth on a McCarthy double to right that scored Tovar, but the Giants answered right back. Tanner Gordon held SF to 1 earned run over 5 innings despite surrendering 8 hits, which looks like a performance built on sheer stubbornness more than dominance. Robbie Ray, meanwhile, was a different kind of problem — 5 innings, only 1 earned run, but 6 walks is a tightrope act that eventually catches up with you.

Then came the ninth, and everything unraveled. With SF holding a 2-1 lead, Karros singled to center and Johnston and Moniak both scored, flipping the game on its head. The win probability swung from 37% to 8% for San Francisco on that single swing — a 29-point collapse in one at-bat. A Carrigg sacrifice fly to left scored McCarthy immediately after, and suddenly Colorado led 4-2. Devers tried to drag SF back with a sacrifice fly to center that scored McCray and made it 4-3, but that was all the Giants could muster. The story of the night was a bullpen that couldn't protect a lead when it mattered most.

Karros finished 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and appears to be the kind of hitter who saves his best for the worst moments — at least that's what Saturday night suggests. McCarthy went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and TJ Rumfield was a quiet 2-for-2 in support. For SF, Luis Arraez added a 3-for-4 night and Casey Schmitt went 2-for-4, so the offense wasn't the issue — the inability to hold a late lead was. Sam Hentges was sharp in relief, striking out 3 in 1.1 innings without allowing an earned run, but the damage was already done before he could close the door. Colorado walks away with a 4-3 win that felt impossible entering the final frame.