There’s no cure quite like a weekend with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Giants hammered the Phillies’ poor pitching staff for a second straight night, winning 8-5 at AT&T Park. The lineup got off to a slow start but scored seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
A night after tagging Phillies ace Cole Hamels for a career-high nine earned runs, the Giants managed just one off of righty David Buchanan, who entered with an 0-5 record and 8.76 ERA. When Buchanan and Ryan Vogelsong exited in the sixth, the Giants trailed 4-1.
The game was tied at one when Ryan Howard hit a solo homer to right with two outs in the sixth. Vogelsong walked the next batter, Carlos Ruiz, and then gave up a two-run homer to Cody Asche that splashed down in the cove. The “splash hit” was the 105th all-time at AT&T Park and the first by a Phillie.
The Giants wasted one opportunity after another against Buchanan, and it looked like they would do it in the sixth, too. But Angel Pagan hit a two-out, two-run double into the right-field corner, cutting the deficit to one. Pagan went 78 games without a multi-RBI game before doing it the first two nights of this series.
After a walk of Joe Panik, Matt Duffy smoked a triple that scored two more. Buster Posey’s single to right gave the Giants a five-run inning and a two-run lead.
Starting pitching report: It was an odd night for Vogelsong. He gave up two hits and walked one in the first, then retired 15 of 17, then allowed two homers in a span of three hitters.
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Bullpen report: Josh Osich faced one batter and retired said batter. He hasn’t allowed a hit in five big league appearances.
At the plate: National League third basemen with 40 RBI this season: Nolan Arenado, Todd Frazier, Kris Bryant, Matt Carpenter … and Duffy. The rookie finished a homer short of the cycle.
In the field: Maikel Franco squibbed one into no-man’s land with two on and two outs in the seventh, but George Kontos scooped it up and turned on the burners to beat Franco to first and end the inning. Kontos has inherited 25 runners this season and stranded 25.
Attendance: AT&T Park reached the 50-million mark in total attendance on Saturday night. The Giants hit 50 million in 1,261 games at AT&T Park, breaking Baltimore’s record of 1,311 games to reach 50 million in a new ballpark.
Up next: The Giants will go for the sweep behind rookie Chris Heston (8-5, 3.51). The Phillies start former Dodger Chad Billingsley (1-2, 6.67).
