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Reporting from ORACLE PARK
A Luis Matos sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth inning capped a 10-inning shutout from Giants relievers to secure a tense, 1-0 win over Philadelphia Tuesday night.
San Francisco (28-27) struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position all game long, while a parade of Giants relievers helped seal back-to-back wins against one of the best teams in baseball.
This story has been updated with quotes and post-game material from the Giants clubhouse at Oracle Park.
Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman induced outs from Patrick Bailey and Jorge Soler before ringing up Tyler Fitzgerald to finish up the ninth.
Manager Bob Melvin trusted Sean Hjelle with late game duties. The right-hander closed the ninth and found his way out of a jam in the 10th, forcing Realmuto into a groundout with a runner at third.
Hjelle credited the synergy among the bullpen for motivating his late game performance:
“It’s just one of those things where it’s like you see the guy in front of you go out there execute pitches and get outs and do it efficiently. You’re just like, ‘I don’t want to be that guy that breaks it up.’ It’s contagious from the guy in front of you and then you just try to take that and pass it on to the guy behind you.”
Melvin says he’s starting to notice a level of comfort coming from the dugout in late game situations:
“Our bats are a lot better now. We’re getting key hits and we’re scoring runs and we’re adding on and then we’re doing a lot of our best work late in the game. So as long as we have a chance, we feel like we’re gonna win the game.”
Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler (6-3, 2.53 ERA) made his sixth start on four days rest, putting together a dominant outing. The veteran had it going all night long, serving up nine strikeouts through six scoreless innings. The right-hander came into Tuesday touting 76 strikeouts, tied for fifth in the NL and seventh in the majors.
Erik Miller (0-2, 4.38 ERA) served as the Giants opener Tuesday for the third time this season. He had allowed five runs in his last 11 appearances — four off solo homers.
The left-hander dealt a shutout first inning that featured two strikeouts to start the game. Manager Bob Melvin replaced Miller with another lefty in Taylor Rogers (1-2, 3.20 ERA), who provided two more scoreless innings to keep things knotted at 0-0 through three.
Ther first hit of the game didn’t arrive until the top of the third, when DH Kyle Schwarber sent a hot grounder through the infield gap to right for a single, but no damage was done.
San Francisco couldn’t deliver any action at the plate through the first three innings.
Estrada broke through Wheeler’s hot start in the bottom of the fourth on a laser to left-center field. Slashing .328/ .431/ .639, Chapman immediately followed by beating out a slow roller down the third base line to extend his on-base streak to 16 games.
The hits didn’t produce any run support, with Soler leaving two stranded after grounding out to Phillies third baseman Kody Clemens.
J.T. Realmuto opened up the sixth inning with a double to the gap in center field which extended his hitting streak to 17 games. HE was later thrown out at third base by shortstop Brett Wisely on a Bryce Harper chopper.
Pitcher Spencer Howard made his major league debut for the Giants after being elevated from Triple-A Sacramento along with infielder Trenton Brooks.
The right-hander showcased a promising four innings, striking out four batters, allowing a harmless five hits and throwing 36 strikes on 49 pitches. Howard says he benefitted from a simplified approach against the team that drafted him:
“Just trying to make them hit the ball. The most value I could provide is to eat the most amount of innings, save the pen however it maybe. So just go after guys, put the ball in play and hopefully get quick outs.”
Brooks’ first at-bat in the majors ended with a strikeout after swinging through a high fastball. According to Melvin, Brooks and Wilmer Flores are expected to split time at first base after Lamonte Wade Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Flores replaced Brooks, who finished the night 0-for-2 in the batters box, during the eighth inning.
Up Next
The Giants will face-off against left-hander Cristopher Sånchez (2-3, 3.15 ERA) Wednesday afternoon to wrap up the three-game series with Philadelphia. Kyle Harrison (4-1, 3.90 ERA) is expected to start on the mound for San Francisco. First pitch is 12:45 p.m.
Notes
Outfielder Michael Conforto has increased his running and is expected to begin his rehab assignment in Sacramento Wednesday night to ensure he’s ready to return to the lineup next week. …Right-hander Keaton Winn threw 45 pitches in the bullpen yesterday. Melvin says the right-hander still has more work to do before making his return.
