Giants 11, Rockies 8

(07-04) 04:00 PDT Denver --

When future fans thumb through the 2010 game log and see that the Giants ended their seven-game losing streak with an 11-8 victory at Coors Field, they surely will say, "There must be a wacky story behind that one," and there was.

The Giants on Saturday night dealt the majors' best pitcher one of the worst beatings of his career, yet he did not lose. San Francisco's $126 million pitcher had a 7-1 lead, yet he did not win.

Despite a seven-run third inning against 14-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez, capped by Travis Ishikawa's first career grand slam, the Giants had to come from behind to win, and manager Bruce Bochy was not in the dugout when the skid finally ended because he had been ejected.

Beggars can't be choosers, right? The Giants will take it and do their best to gain a split of the series this afternoon.

"You can't say enough about the grit they played with," Bochy said of his men. "Anytime you cough up a lead like that, it's disheartening, but they didn't show it. They came right back and retook the lead. There's a lot of fight in this club."

The Giants were down 8-7 when they scored twice in the seventh inning against the Rockies' bullpen. Nate Schierholtz hit a leadoff triple and Andres Torres an RBI single. Freddy Sanchez also singled, and after Torres stole third, he was able to score the go-ahead run on Pablo Sandoval's sacrifice fly to center.

Aubrey Huff, who crazily enough predicted a date with Jimenez might be what this reeling team needed, sealed the win with a two-run homer in the ninth, his 15th on the year and third in the span of nine at-bats.

Also credit Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson (save No. 22) for holding the Rockies scoreless over the final three innings, no mean feat the way these teams were lighting up the scoreboard.

Once the Rockies scored seven runs in a row to take the lead, it would have been hard to find a bookie willing to lay odds on a Giants win, but they were desperate.

"After losing so many in a row, we weren't going to roll over and die," Schierholtz said.

This was a big night for Schierholtz and Ishikawa, who had been shoved into the farthest recesses of Bochy's closet. Bochy said Ishikawa has "forced the issue" with his hitting of late.

A Giants offense that had not scored more than three runs in a game during the streak already had that many in the third inning, when Ishikawa faced Jimenez. Aaron Rowand hit a leadoff double, Sanchez drove in a run with a single and Sandoval singled home a run. Juan Uribe and Buster Posey walked to load the bases for Ishikawa, who hit a first-pitch fastball into the Rockies' bullpen.

Ishikawa had not started since May 19. Before the game, bench coach Ron Wotus razzed him by pointing toward first base and saying, "See? That's where you run to when the game starts."

Ishikawa has prospered and coped with his reduced role.

"You guys haven't seen me break anything in the clubhouse yet, so I guess I've done a decent job," said Ishikawa, who will start the series finale today.

Barry Zito let the Rockies creep back into the game. He ultimately left in the sixth inning and watched as Dexter Fowler pooched a two-run single to center off Denny Bautista to tie the game. The Rockies took the lead on a Carlos Gonzalez sacrifice fly, made possible by a "safe" call at first that led to Bochy's ejection.

E-mail Henry Schulman at hschulman@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle