SF Giants end losing streak in 13-1 blowout win over Phillies
It seems like the SF Giants really needed a day off to help end their seven-game losing streak. Starting a three-game series at Oracle Park against the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco cruised to a 13-1 win
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The Giants sent starting pitcher Alex Cobb to the mound. Cobb has been solid all season, but has dealt with bad luck in multiple ways in his outings. Cobb has been shortchanged with minimal run support several times this season and has also had to overcome some costly defensive mistakes. Luckily for him, none of that would show up on Friday night.
Cobb worked around a single in a low-stress top of the first inning and the Giants lineup immediately went to work against Phillies starter Kyle Gibson. LaMonte Wade Jr. popped out, but the following five Giants hitters recorded hits or walked and just like that San Francisco led 4-0.
The Giants continued pouncing on Gibson in the second inning, with recently promoted Andrew Knapp and Mike Yastrzemski each working walks before Joc Pederson blasted a first-pitch slider into McCovey Cove for the 97th splash hit in Oracle Park history.
Gibson was replaced by former Giants reliever Sam Coonrod later in the second inning, but he was unable to slow down San Francisco's attack. Coonrod hit Thairo Estrada and walked Luis Gonzalez to start the third inning. Knapp drove in Estrada with a sacrifice fly before Coonrod surrendered a pair of singles to load the bases. Coonrod walked in a run before he was replaced by Cristopher Sanchez, who allowed two more runs to score.
With more than enough run support, Cobb cruised through the Phillies lineup doing an excellent job mixing his sinker, splitter, and knuckle curve to keep them off balance. He needed just 88 pitches to complete 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts. He surrendered just 3 hits and 1 walk.
Recently acquired outfielder Lewis Brinson made his Giants debut as a pinch hitter for Pederson in the fifth inning. He recorded a bloop single that helped the Giants add another run in the fifth. The Giants added another run in the bottom of the eighth against Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs, but that would be all of the scoring the Giants would do. Rookie infielder David Villar was another late-game substitution who grounded out in his first plate appearance since he was recalled yesterday.
Manager Gabe Kapler turned to Jarlin García in the eighth, and the southpaw retired three straight hitters in the eighth before Gonzalez took the mound in the ninth. The Phillies scored a run against the position-player pitching but were never close to threatening San Francisco's lead.
The SF Giants are now 62-68 and 10 games back of the Padres for the final wild-card spot in the National League. While it will take a historically unprecedented run for San Francisco to reach the postseason, they have not been mathematically eliminated yet. They will look to build off their victory tomorrow when they host the Phillies at 1:05 PM Pacific.
