Giants Video

Giants, Rockies set for game 2

Zito's strong start

Rockies Video

Giants, Rockies set for game 2

Hammel strikes out seven

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it was, indeed, Andres Torres.

Twelve days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, the Giants' leadoff hitter and offensive catalyst returned to action Friday. And while Torres didn't factor into the 2-1 win, he did get to bat, lofting a fly ball to center on the first pitch he saw.

"I knew he wouldn't [take a pitch]," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's good to see him back. He had a good workout today -- swinging, running -- so I knew if it was this type of game, he'd be in there."

Bochy said the Giants would wait until deciding to start Torres on Saturday, but the speedy center fielder would provide a different element to a Giants lineup that once again won thanks to a homer Friday.

They'll need all the help they can get against Colorado starter Jason Hammel, who has pitched the Giants tough this season. In two starts against San Francisco, Hammel (10-8, 4.56 ERA) has held the Giants to one run and two runs while pitching at least 6 2/3 innings in both outings.

Earlier this week, Hammel said he was experiencing some "extreme dead arm" and there was speculation he might not be able to pitch Saturday.

"It's something I've never dealt with before," Hammel said. "I've had dead arm, but it felt different. It felt like it was extremely tired. I wasn't getting any feedback. I could almost not feel my shoulder."

Hammel will be able to go, however, opposing left-hander Barry Zito (9-13, 3.98), who earned his first win since July 16 in his last start. Despite Coors Field's reputation as a hitters' park, Zito hasn't been fazed by the mile-high air, posting a 2-1 record and 3.52 ERA in six career starts there.

"The game's all about confidence," Zito said. "Coors Field, it's tough for pitchers, but if you make your pitches and attack the zone, it's like any other ballpark."

Giants: Lopez ready for lefties
A superb pitching performance by starter Tim Lincecum kept Javier Lopez out of Friday's series opener, but the lefty specialist more than likely will get his fair amount of work during the next two days. The Rockies lineup boasts Carlos Gonzalez, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton and Seth Smith, all of whom give pitchers fits -- no matter which hand they throw with. Lopez, who can throw over the top and drop down to the side, said he's careful about mixing his repertoire when facing divisional teams such as Colorado. "I always try to tweak it a little bit because they have the same video you do," said Lopez, who has limited lefties to three hits in 36 at-bats (.083) since the Giants acquired him from Pittsburgh in a July 31 trade. "When you're facing the same people in the same division, you don't want to give them the same look every single time."

Rockies: No quit despite odds
In the midst of their longest losing streak since an eight-game setback in late July and now 4 1/2 games behind the National League West leader, the Rockies face a massive uphill battle in their final nine games. A few people you don't have to tell that to are the guys in the clubhouse. "Everybody's well aware of what remains," manager Jim Tracy said. "We know what we have to do. We have to win a ton of baseball games. ... That's just the way this baseball team is. They won't quit."

Worth noting
The five combined hits in Friday's game were the fewest in a single game in Rockies history. The previous low was seven, also done with the Giants, on July 12, 2004. ... After Friday's game-winning home run, two of Pat Burrell's last three hits have left the yard. ... Carlos Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 10 games. ... The season series between the two teams now is tied at eight games a piece.