After taking two of three from the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies kicked off a West Coast road trip with a three-game series in San Francisco against the Giants. This marks the final week of play before the All-Star break, which begins Monday, July 14, with the Midsummer Classic set for Tuesday, July 15.
With that, let’s take a look back at the three-game series at Oracle Park.
Cristopher Sánchez got the start on Monday night and did everything he could to put the Phillies in position to win. He allowed just one run over seven innings while striking out eight, marking his seventh consecutive quality start. According to RotoWire, Sánchez has compiled a 1.69 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a 46:7 K:BB ratio over 48 innings during that stretch. The game was tied 1-1 when he was lifted after 105 pitches, resulting in a no-decision.
Unfortunately, as Phillies fans have seen all too often this season, the bullpen couldn’t hold on, ultimately costing the team another chance at a win despite a strong outing from their starter.
Orion Kerkering took over for Sánchez and struggled with his command. He hit the first batter he faced, surrendered a single to Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, then hit Wilmer Flores to load the bases for Casey Schmitt. Schmitt grounded into a fielder’s choice that brought home one run and moved Chapman to third. Jung Hoo Lee followed with another fielder’s choice, allowing Chapman to score and making it 3-1. Kerkering lasted just a third of an inning, giving up one hit and two runs. He was tagged with the loss, dropping his record to 5-4 on the season.
The Phillies managed six hits on the night but could muster only a single run, which came on a wild pitch in the fifth. The final score was 3-1.
Sánchez, whom some in the media argue was deserving of an All-Star nod, is now 7-2 on the season with a 2.59 ERA and 116 strikeouts.
Monday night’s win marked San Francisco’s 50th victory of the season.
On Tuesday night, the Phillies turned to Taijuan Walker, making his first start since May 30 after a stint in the bullpen. He returned to the rotation with Aaron Nola still on the IL and Mick Abel recently optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Walker pitched well, allowing just one run on two hits over four innings while striking out three on 63 pitches. Not a bad showing for his first start back in the rotation after more than a month.
Everything seemed to be going the Phillies’ way, as they led 3-1 after eight innings thanks to an RBI double from Otto Kemp and a two-run homer by Kyle Schwarber. All the bullpen needed to do was shut down San Francisco in the ninth to secure the win. However, that was not to be the case.
As Jordan Romano took the mound in the ninth, the Phillies’ lead quickly evaporated. Schmitt led off with a double to left and advanced to third on a single by Flores. With runners on the corners, catcher Patrick Bailey, hardly known for his power at the plate, delivered a stunning three-run inside-the-park home run, giving the Giants three runs in the bottom of the ninth and a 4-3 walk-off victory.
It was just the fourth walk-off inside-the-park homer in Giants franchise history. Bailey also became the first Giants catcher to collect an inside-the-park home run since 1984, and the first catcher in all of baseball to hit an inside-the-park walk-off homer since 1926.
A wild finish on Tuesday night left Philadelphia down 0-2 in the series.
Fortunately for Philadelphia, the final game of the series on Wednesday afternoon was all Phillies from start to finish. They fired on all cylinders, piling up 17 hits and cruising to a commanding 13-0 win over the Giants. Bryce Harper led the charge with four extra-base hits, including a home run in the fourth. Schwarber added a homer of his own, his 29th of the season, and drove in three runs, while J.T. Realmuto chipped in three hits and two RBIs.
Seven of the Phillies’ 13 runs came in the eighth inning.
On the mound, Jesús Luzardo tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven. It was an important bounce-back performance for Luzardo, who had struggled mightily in his last outing against Cincinnati at home the previous weekend. This was exactly the kind of start the young left-hander needed heading into the All-Star break.
The Phillies will remain in California, heading to San Diego for a three-game series against the Padres from Friday through Sunday. It’s the team’s final series before the All-Star break, which begins on Monday.
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