After winning a three-game series at Coors Field in Colorado, the Phillies headed to San Francisco for a three-game set with the Giants. It would be their final series on the road before returning home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
With that, here’s how the three-game series against the Giants played out.
Monday night’s contest was exactly what Phillies fans wanted and, in many ways, needed to see: a return to top form from their beloved slugger and former MVP, Bryce Harper. After getting off to a slow start that left him hitting .139 entering the night, Harper led the charge and turned in the kind of performance the Phillies needed to secure the victory.
It was all Harper, all the time. The two-time MVP delivered a two-out double to left field in the first inning, scored on a double off the right-field wall in the fifth, and capped his night with a game-tying, two-run single to right in the seventh. He finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
In addition to Harper, Alec Bohm also came up big for the Phillies, delivering a go-ahead double in the seventh inning at exactly the right moment. He finished with two hits on the evening. The Phillies went on to win, 6–4.
Andrew Painter made his second Major League start and was tagged for four runs on nine hits over four innings while striking out just one. It was a sharp contrast to his memorable debut, when he struck out eight over 5.1 innings while allowing just one run.
Regardless, Painter battled and was appreciative of his teammates picking him up. “I’m super happy that they broke through and picked me up,” the 22-year-old said.
Tuesday night’s game served as a reminder to baseball fans everywhere that in this sport, fortunes can change quickly. The Phillies team that had shown signs of progress over the previous few games suddenly found itself struggling.
Cristopher Sánchez (1–0, 0.79 ERA) got the ball, and while it wasn’t a terrible outing, it also wasn’t what we have come to expect from last year’s Cy Young runner-up. He posted a 74 percent strike rate, but Sánchez’s final line was not one of his best: five and a third innings, 11 hits, two earned runs, and six strikeouts. However, for those who tuned in, it was clear Sánchez’s stat line did not tell the whole story, as it was impacted by the poor defense behind him. Had the defense been sharper, Sánchez likely would have had a better outcome.
“In the fifth inning, we probably gave him six outs,” said manager Rob Thomson said. “Our defense didn’t help him. That’s for sure.
Philadelphia committed two errors, and a few misreads in the outfield that could have otherwise resulted in outs.
Offensively, it was a brutal night, as Robbie Ray held the Phillies lineup to three hits over 6.2 innings. They managed just four hits in the entire contest.
Ray, a left-hander, reinforced a problem already well known in Philadelphia: the team continues to struggle against left-handed pitching. The Phillies are hitting .165/.277/.258 against left-handers, the lowest mark in the league.
With the series tied 1–1 and the Phillies looking to win their first series in San Francisco since 2013, Aaron Nola took the mound. He pitched effectively for most of the game. He didn’t rack up many strikeouts, but he battled and kept the Giants scoreless through five innings before surrendering a three-run blast to Giants slugger Rafael Devers. That proved to be all the Giants needed. They added two more insurance runs in the eighth inning for a final score of 5–0.
Once again, the Phillies were unable to win a series in the Bay Area. The drought continues.
For the second night in a row, the bats were ice cold, as Giants pitchers limited the Phillies to just four hits.
Getting runners in when they are in scoring position has proven significantly difficult for the team this season. They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday. Over their last 100 at-bats in those situations, the Phillies are hitting just .200.
The team will return home Friday for a nine-game homestand. First up are the Arizona Diamondbacks, followed by the Chicago Cubs and then the Atlanta Braves. The return to Citizens Bank Park provides an opportunity for the offense to regain its footing.
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