Blown opportunities, poor defense haunt Phillies in second straight loss to Giants
Final Score: Giants 5, Phillies 4
SAN FRANCISCO — Defense, San Francisco and the month of September each did to the Phillies on Saturday as they are wont to do.
Behind several costly misplays, an uninspiring Noah Syndergaard outing and multiple blown opportunities at the plate, the Phillies fell to the Giants 5-4 at Oracle Park, sealing the defeat in the three-game weekend set. The Phillies will leave San Francisco with a series loss for the seventh time in their last eight trips.
The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013.
The bad vibes began in the first inning. With LaMonte Wade Jr. on second after a leadoff double, Thairo Estrada hit a spinner not halfway up the first base line that Syndergaard barehanded. He then fired high and wide of Rhys Hoskins at first, allowing Wade to score easily.
Defense taketh, defense giveth. Brandon Crawford — whose Giants have played worse defense than the Phillies by defensive runs saved, which is really saying something — sailed a throw on Bryson Stott’s infield single to open the second. That allowed Jean Segura’s ensuing double to easily tie the game, and Matt Vierling gave the Phillies a lead with a bloop hit over a squeezed-in infield.
The Giants tied it on a Joc Pederson single in the third (a rally started by ex-Phillie Andrew Knapp). Another run scored as Rhys Hoskins botched a Crawford grounder one batter later, though in fairness, the run would’ve scored even if he’d fielded it cleanly. And, a nifty double play up the middle by Stott and Segura made sure it didn’t matter.
Bryson Stott meets … Barry Bonds? The former Giants slugger accounts for more than a third of the Giants’ 97 all-time Splash Hits, and Stott visited Bonds territory in the fourth. The rookie shortstop cranked one 412 feet, into McCovey Cove for the 3-3 tie:
The Phillies had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead in the fifth when Schwarber doubled and Hoskins singled to put runners on the corners with no outs for their 3-4-5 hitters. But Alec Bohm bounced one right to Crawford, who made the play this time (albeit barely) and nabbed Schwarber at the plate.
Harper then grounded into a 1-6-3 double play to end the disappointing top half of the inning.
Pederson’s second RBI single of the game gave the Giants a 4-3 lead in the bottom half. Connor Brogdon — who allowed that knock — loaded the bases with one out but worked around it to keep the deficit at one, and Segura’s second RBI double of the day tied it in the sixth.
More shoddy defense cost the Phillies in the sixth. Schwarber started in on a liner from Lewis Brinson to lead off the frame, then couldn’t retreat enough to make a leaping grab, leaving Brinson with a double (technically). Brad Hand eventually loaded the bases on two more walks, and a third walk (after having Pederson down 0-2 with two outs) gave the Giants the lead.
Schwarber led off the seventh with a triple aided by a misplay (sensing a theme?) in Oracle Park’s Triples Alley. But Hoskins struck out swinging, Bohm grounded out with the infield in and J.T. Realmuto struck out swinging to leave yet another opportunity for naught.
Another inning, another blown opportunity. After Stott and Segura singled to lead off the eighth, Rob Thomson turned to Donny Sands to come through in his third major league at bat.
He did not. Sands grounded into a double play, and Vierling struck out swinging to end yet another crushing frame.
Schwarber, Bohm and Hoskins went down 1-2-3 against Camilo Doval to end a game that, frankly, felt quite winnable for the Phillies — not a good sign for a team known to struggle in September. They’re now 73-60. Their Wild Card lead is at three games.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Jakob Junis: 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 78 pitches (52 strikes)
It certainly wasn’t a memorable outing for Junis, but it wasn’t a complete blow-up, either — and given a few jams he escaped with limited damage, it could’ve been. His ERA is 4.05.
Noah Syndergaard: 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 75 pitches (52 strikes)
Syndergaard fell behind too many counts on Saturday, and the harsh reality is that he doesn’t have the stuff — get-me-over nor putaway — to make up for that anymore. He’s allowed 7+ hits and 4+ runs in fewer than six innings in three of his six starts as a Phillie. His season ERA is 4.07; Phillies ERA 4.63.
Hand’s bases-loaded walk of Pederson in the sixth was the sixth bases-loaded walk by Phillies pitchers on this road trip. That’s six such occasions — plus a bases-loaded hit by pitch, for good measure — in five games.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Sunday, Sept. 4 vs. Giants at Oracle Park
- 4:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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