The Giants played from behind most of the game on Sunday, but after taking a brief lead late in the game the Phillies responded with late-game heroics of their own in a 9-7 victory over visiting San Francisco.
Brandon Crawford, the star of the day for the Giants, knocked a two-run single in the 7th to give the Giants a short-lived 7-6 lead. The Phillies tied it up in the next half inning and hit a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the 8th to secure a series win, their first in the last 11 series.
Giants starter Matt Moore struggled in each of the first few innings and couldn’t make it past the 4th. He allowed runs in each of the first three innings, and was removed after four innings with six hits, two walks and five runs (four earned) allowed.
The Phillies used a pair of RBI doubles to take an early lead in the bottom of the 1st after Eduardo Nuñez hit a solo home run for the Giants in the top half of the inning. Freddy Galvis extended Philadelphia’s lead with a two-run homer in the 2nd and the Giants played catch up the rest of the way.
In the top of the 3rd, the Giants got a pair back thanks to a single, an error, two walks and a sacrifice fly.
Jeremy Hellickson, who started on the hill for the Phillies, struggled nearly as much as Moore even though his team continued to extend his lead. Odubel Herrera gave Philadelphia a 6-3 lead with a homer in the 5th, but Crawford came back and hit a two-run bomb of his own in the top of the 6th.
Hellickson was lifted after throwing 5.1 innings and allowing four hits, four walks and five runs (three earned).
Crawford hit his two-run single in the 7th to provide temporary comfort for San Francisco, but it didn’t last long. Herrera hit an RBI double to tie it up in the bottom half of the 7th. Then, with Derek Law pitching in the 8th, the Phillies went ahead for good on solo home runs by Maikel Franco and Galvis. Galvis finished 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and Herrera went 3-for-4 with three RBI for Philadelphia.
It was a rare productive day for the Giant offense that went unrewarded. Led by Crawford, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, the Giants had seven hits on the day. Their bullpen couldn’t keep them in the game, however. George Kontos, Josh Osich and Law were all credited with earned runs allowed. As the Giants’ road trip moves them on to Milwaukee starting Monday, they’ll look to settle the pen and seek to maintain the strong offense.