SF Giants Press Clips Sunday, June 4, 2017

Transcription

1 SF Giants Press Clips Sunday, June 4, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants offense returns to sleep in rare Phillies win Henry Schulman PHILADELPHIA The fans came to Citizens Bank Park for a ballgame Saturday and stayed for an Avett Brothers concert. Or, they came for an Avett Brothers concert and were forced to watch the Giants play the Phillies. Those who cared about the opening act saw what Giants fans have witnessed all year. The same lineup that scored 10 runs in the series opener Friday night managed one run on four hits over seven innings against Ben Lively in his big-league debut. That allowed the Phillies to hang with Johnny Cueto long enough to rally for a 5-3 win. The Giants scored twice in the ninth to give the Avett Brothers more time to tune their instruments. It s always disappointing when you lose, manager Bruce Bochy said. To get one run there till late makes it more frustrating, because that has been our way. We have a pretty good game or two, then get shut out. We ve got to get some consistency here. The Phillies managed to get the postgame handshake right, although they would have been forgiven for rustiness. They won for only the seventh time since April 27. 1

2 Now, the Giants need to win Sunday behind Matt Moore to avoid the embarrassment of dropping a series to the Phillies, who have lost their past 10. There are myriad ways to measure the awfulness of the Giants season. Here is one: Cueto took his fifth loss despite a good, 112-pitch performance. Last year he totaled five losses. This defeat had a weird twist. The Giants inability to score more than once against Lively put Bochy in a spot in the seventh inning of a 1-1 game, which the Phillies had tied in the sixth on a Tommy Joseph homer, the first run allowed by the Giants in 23 innings. Joe Panik singled to open the seventh. With one out and Austin Slater batting, Bochy sent a pinch-hitter on deck to bat for Cueto, who expected he was done. But when Slater ended the inning with a double play, leaving him 1-for-8 in his two big-league games, Bochy sent Cueto back to the mound for the seventh with 108 pitches thrown. It did not go well. Maikel Franco and Andrew Knapp singled. Bochy then called for Hunter Strickland, whose week is ending as badly as it started. Freddy Galvis, whose afternoon began when a Denard Span one-hopper deflected off his glove and hit him in the face, lined a first-pitch single to give the Phillies their first lead of the series. Strickland got an out, but Cesar Hernandez singled to load the bases. The righty tried to bounce a curveball to Odubel Herrera but left it up, and the Phillies center fielder crushed it to the wall in right-center for a three-run double and a 5-1 lead. It was the kind of big hit the Giants consistently have failed to produce. 2

3 Cueto would not use the you re done, you re not done episode as an excuse, saying, I thought I was not coming out to pitch again. Bochy told me to go out and pitch. You have to be ready. You can t tune out. Similarly, Strickland would not blame all the noise over his Monday drilling of Bryce Harper for any mental letdown on the mound. I left a couple of pitches up. They got hit, Strickland said. Hats off to them. Hats off to the Giants for the ninth-inning college try. They scored twice off Hector Neris, with Brandon Belt s double starting the rally. Brandon Crawford and Aaron Hill, who batted for Slater, hit RBI singles. Bochy sent Nick Hundley to the plate with two outs as the potential go-ahead run. Onetime closer Jeanmar Gomez replaced Neris and secured a one-pitch save, as Hundley bounced into a force to get two disappointing teams off the field and one good folk band on the stage. San Francisco Chronicle KNBR conversation: Bobby Evans An edited transcript of an interview with Giants general manager Bobby Evans: Q: What can be done with this squad? I don t get why they can t hit. I know injuries have not helped the cause. It seems like everything that could go wrong is going wrong. A: It would be nice to get everyone healthy and see what that does. (Hunter) Pence is not far away, there is still everyday guys who are not producing at their customary levels.... We have a core that has been there, done it, you have to believe they have more in tank. I think that our starting pitching has turned back to a little better place. Q: Two months into the season, the last time you were sub-.500 was You guys are used to at this point of the season being over Does June 1 hold any significance in that guys should be what they are at this point of the season? 3

4 A: Guys who have track records are still not what they are supposed to be or what they have been historically, so it is concerning and frustrating; it is going to have to turn to give us a fighting chance. At this point I don t know if I can say where we are is who we are, but we clearly have deficits and weaknesses that have to be addressed. Q: We don t need to spend a ton of time on this (Hunter) Strickland versus (Bryce) Harper thing, but one of the things that has been thrown around that I think you can clarify better than anyone else is Buster Posey s role in this. Buster is a great teammate, no one is questioning that, but there was discussion that this is a mandate from the organization that Buster shouldn t get involved in any of that type of activity? A: There has been no edict; you have a catcher who is extremely thoughtful about how he does his job and is an extremely strong leader in that clubhouse.... I think that in some ways you saw expression of his disappointment at the circumstances. Q: Still about a month or so away from being buyers or sellers, we will see where you guys land. Would it be fair to say that even if you were sellers it would be a different type of seller, because you still feel that you have a core that you feel can compete? A: Yes, we have to evaluate our core, we have to look at our core honestly in the mirror and assess whether they are in a position that they can continue to be part of that core. I think the initial assessment that, yes, our core is built to win and built to win again soon, we need to be mindful of that. It is going to make a trade deadline any year challenging. It will be interesting, but from our standpoint we believe we have a core to work around. We are going to want to make sure to maintain that, and any deals we make ultimately we hope will improve our club both short term and of course long term. 4

5 San Francisco Chronicle Dodgers liked Giants outfielder Austin slater too Henry Schulman As Austin Slater said he wouldn't trade his Stanford experience for the shook his pen and claimed it wasn't working. -- Andrew Baggarly, on Twitter PHILADELPHIA - Having to give props to Stanfoos is just not in my blue-and-gold blood. But after telling Slater in front of the group that he and I were going to have a problem right off the bat, I later tapped him on the shoulder and told him the docs at Stanford helped cure me of a serious illness, so I'm not that hateful. "So," Slater replied, "you're a member of the Tree Family." Just to be clear, I AM NOT A MEMBER OF THE TREE FAMILY. Ahem. A few hours later, Slater got his first big-league hit and RBI with a single in the Giants' 10-0 rout of the Phillies. He was not counting on getting six plate appearances in his debut, but he was glad. In his two at-bats after the hit, Slater struck out in an instant reminder that even pitchers on the worst big-league team throw sliders and curveballs you don't see in Triple=A. Slater, an eighth-round pick in 2014, got word of his promotion at dawn Thursday when Sacramento manager Dave Brundage told him not to board the bus for the airport and a trip to Albuquerque and instead go to AT&T Park for the Giants' charter to Philly. Given the hour, Slater was groggy and not exactly sure he heard right. "It didn't hit me until I was driving over," he said. 5

6 Slater donned his No. 53 Giants uniform almost six years to the day after the Dodgers selected him out of high school in the 44th round of the amateur draft. "I'm pretty sure they got rid of that round," Slater said, and they have. He was highly touted until he broke his ankle playing Ultimate Frisbee. Three years later, the Giants drafted him. Slater might have been drafted high enough in 2011 to consider signing out of high school. Instead, he went to college and called his injury a "blessing in disguise." He spent three years on the Farm - what do they grow there, Lexuses? - and studied Science, Technology and Society. He is 13 credits short of a degree, which he hopes to complete this winter. Then, he'll be a full-fledged member of the Tree Family. Repeat lineup: The Giants are going with their "we scored 10 runs against the Phillies with his lineup" lineup. Same as Friday night. Slater is in right field, Orlando Calixte in left. You can see the full lineup below. Span had five hits and Eduardo Nuñez had three. If the Giants are to have an offensive revival, Nuñez might be leading the charge. Dude has 11 hits in his past 29 at-bats and his.400 average with runners in scoring position, 18-fo-45, ranks seventh in the majors. A Nuñez tear can only help the Giants even if they remain a sub-.500 team by enhancing his trade value. Span did not see his five-hit night coming. "The last couple of gams against Washington I didn't feel good," he said. "I was getting good pitches to hit and missing them. It's a crazy game. I got a day off to regroup and and put some good swings on the ball." 6

7 Numbers: As I mentioned in Friday night's gamer, Ty Blach became the third player and first pitcher in at least 104 years to walk and strike out three times each in a nine-inning game. Rob Deer and Jack Clark were the other two. One pitcher also did what Blach called the "double hat trick." His name was Ernie Koob and he did it in 1916 in the second of his four seasons with the St. Louis Browns. That game against the Red Sox lasted 17 innings and ended in a 0-0 tie because of darkness. I neglected to mention that Blach also became the first Giants rookie since Madison Bumgarner in 2010 to win four consecutive starts. The lineups: GIANTS (vs. RHP Ben Lively in his big-league debut) Span CF Nuñez 3B Belt 1B Posey C Crawford SS Panik 2B Calixte LF Slater RF Cueto P PHILLIES (vs. RHP Johnny Cueto) 7

8 AUY (Ain't up yet) San Jose Mercury News Johnny Cueto s future with Giants is up in the air Andrew Baggarly PHILADELPHIA Johnny Cueto is throwing harder. His changeup is darting again. The blisters that made him funnel pitches into a pigeonhole for two months are finally clearing up. He is starting to look like a top-tier rotation presence, and one who could impact a pennant race. But whose? I don t decide that, said Cueto, who exited in the seventh inning of a tie game that the Giants eventually lost 5-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. The executives make the decisions. For my end, the only thing I think about is that I m here, and I have to go out and pitch. Cueto has a decision to make after this season, when he could opt out of his contract, choose free agency and forfeit four years times $21 million. The Giants have a decision to make before that. If they get the vibe that Cueto will wave goodbye, which appears a strong possibility if he s healthy, they could seek to trade him prior to the July 31 trade deadline. Any team that acquires Cueto would have to view him as a two-month rental. Yet an acquiring club also would be assuming a tremendous amount of risk. If Cueto were to sustain a serious injury in those 10 or so starts, that club could be on the hook for $84 million in damaged goods. So all told, the Giants probably shouldn t expect a Cueto trade to restock their lean farm system. But what is their alternative? Hold onto him and hope that he stays? Cueto did not paint a contented picture when asked in April about the state of the Giants clubhouse, which has a minimal Latino presence. Gorkys Hernandez and Eduardo Nuñez are the only international players who have spent any length of time on the Giants roster this season. When I was with Kansas City, it was a team, I think, it was a very happy bunch because we had a lot of players from the Dominican, Cueto said in April, through Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros. The same with Cincinnati. But here, it s different. As Latins, we like to get together kind of loud, and be a happy bunch. But here, you look around and everyone is on their own, just sitting at their locker, very quiet, just by themselves. That s just how they are. 8

9 The lineup reverted to another quiet afternoon on the field. A day after the Giants shouted for 10 runs and left 17 more on base, they could not manage an echo against a pitcher making his major league debut. Right-hander Ben Lively didn t strike out a batter in seven innings, but he held the Giants to one run and became the first Phillies pitcher to throw a quality start since May 21. Odubel Herrera turned around Hunter Strickland s curveball for a three-run double in the seventh inning and the Giants offense returned to feeble form on an otherwise idyllic Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. At least the Giants scored twice in the ninth inning against a checkered Phillies bullpen and had the tying runs on base when pinch hitter Nick Hundley grounded into a forceout. But manager Bruce Bochy has seen this death rattle far too often. The offense didn t wake up until it was too late, Bochy said. It s frustrating. We have a pretty good game or two, and then get shut down. We ve got to get some consistency here. Cueto is beginning to find his form. He took a shutout into the sixth inning before Tommy Joseph hit a tying home run on one of the few changeups he left over the plate. Cueto finished with nine strikeouts and did not walk a batter. The blisters? Every day that I pitch, I feel better, he said. But he acknowledged that he might have let down his guard when Bochy sent up a pinch hitter for him into the on-deck circle in the seventh, and No.8 batter Austin Slater hit into an inningending double play. I thought I was not coming out again, but Bochy said I was going in to pitch, Cueto said through Higueros. You have to be ready and you can t tune out. Cueto took the mound at 108 pitches and did not retire a batter while throwing four more. He gave up consecutive singles to put runners at the corners, and bring Strickland into the game. Strickland will have to wait until June 13 to appeal his six-game suspension for hitting Bryce Harper with a pitch last Monday, which sparked a mound-charging, benches-clearing fight. In the meantime, Strickland cleared something else. His first pitch was a fastball that Freddy Galvis lined for a tiebreaking single. Another one-out hit loaded the bases. After a lengthy mound meeting with the entire infield and pitching coach Dave Righetti, Strickland threw a first-pitch curveball and Herrera swung so hard that his helmet 9

10 popped off. But when Strickland tried to double up on the curve, Herrera swatted it to the gap in right-center as three runs scored. Strickland said the looming suspension wasn t a distraction. Not at all, he said. I left a couple pitches over and they got their hits. These are good hitters and (Herrera) made an adjustment and got the best of that next pitch. The Giants cannot let a team like the Phillies get the better of them. But when you struggle against one of the worst teams in baseball, perhaps it s time to polish a mirror. For now, when Cueto peers into the looking glass, he still sees a pitcher wearing a Giants uniform. I don t think anything of it, he said. You just put your head down. It happens to every baseball team and now it s happening to us, and eventually we ll get out of it. San Jose Mercury news Giants Notes Andrew Baggarly PHILADELPHIA Hunter Pence s hamstring is ready. He scored from first base on a double in a rehab game for Single-A San Jose on Friday. Now the question: do the Giants wave him across the country to Citizens Bank Park to play a day game on Sunday, or hold up the stop sign and have him meet the club in Milwaukee? Does it make sense to fly him across the country for a day game? Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. But you know Hunter. He wants to get here ASAP. Maybe his true motivation is to stock up on some of Philadelphia s fine fresh bread products. The Giants were formulating their plan. Either way, the club expects Pence to return very soon. Until then, Austin Slater gets another start in right field one day after he collected his first hit and first RBI in his major league debut. Bochy made no adjustments to a lineup that not only scored 10 runs, but also stranded 17 baserunners the franchise s most in a nine-inning game 10

11 since The 10-0 victory was as one-sided as a major league came could be, when you add in the fact that the Phillies advanced just one runner into scoring position against lefty Ty Blach. The Phillies will send rookie Ben Lively to the mound on Saturday to make his debut. Lively, by all accounts, is a command righty who doesn t always have the best command. In fact, the Giants will face right-handers in each of the final six games of the trip. It s a chance for Denard Span to break out in the leadoff spot. He matched a career high with five hits on Friday. Eduardo Nuñez, who is hitting.375 over his last 16 games, is settling in as the No.2 hitter as well. Couple more health updates: Conor Gillaspie (lower back) could restart his rehab assignment for Single-A San Jose on Saturday. He ll stay in the Bay Area because his wife is expecting and they re likely to induce labor on Monday. Michael Morse (concussion) is not on the trip and is resting back in San Francisco. Lineups for a sunny, slightly breezy and not at all sweaty late-afternoon start here in South Philly: MLB.com Cueto takes tough loss as Phillies rally in 7 th Paul Hagen and Todd Zolecki PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera is known for his bat flips, so it is no surprise he launched one in the seventh inning Saturday evening at Citizens Bank Park. He ripped a double to center field against Hunter Strickland to score three runs in a 5-3 victory over the Giants. Herrera entered the game in a season-long funk, sitting on the bench in three of the Phillies' previous four games as fans have called for his demotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. But Herrera, whose.589 OPS ranked 166th out of 172 qualified hitters, doubled in the fourth and seventh innings for his first game with two extra-base hits since July 4, Full Game Coverage "Hopefully it's going to start something good," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. Freddy Galvis' go-ahead single and Herrera's clutch hit in the seventh secured Phillies righthander Ben Lively's first big league win in his big league debut. He allowed four hits, one run 11

12 and three walks in seven innings, and the Phillies hung on despite the Giants rallying for two runs in the ninth. Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto allowed eight hits and three runs in six-plus innings, departing after allowing two singles to start the seventh. He struck out nine. Giants' offense cooled by rookie starter If things had gone differently, Cueto wouldn't have been on the mound to start the seventh. There was a pinch-hitter on deck for him when Austin Slater grounded into an inning-ending double play. Those first two hitters, Maikel Franco and Andrew Knapp, singled. Strickland relieved Cueto and, before it was over, the Phillies had scored four runs. "I was going to hit for him," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Then we hit into the double play, and Johnny started with the first two hitters and they had some pretty good at-bats, had some hits off him. He just got too much of the plate on some pitches, and they took advantage of it. The big inning just got us. But I think if you look at the game overall he threw well." Cueto said he didn't lose focus because he thought he was coming out of the game. "No, no, not at all," he said through an interpreter. "It was going to happen, but it didn't happen. Obviously, I saw the pinch-hitter. And, yes, I thought I was coming out. But then [Bochy] told me I was going back in to pitch You have to be ready. You can't tune out." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Cueto finally pays: The Phillies went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts with runners in scoring position through five innings as Cueto wiggled out of trouble. But Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph hit a 3-2 changeup down the left-field line for a solo homer in the sixth to tie the game, 1-1. It was Joseph's ninth homer of the season. "The thing that makes this game kind of special is Cueto's a good pitcher," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's really tough. We got a lot of hits off him and swung the bats well. Maybe this is the kind of game that will kick-start us. All the guys swung the bat very well and we got to carry that over through tomorrow." A Lively debut: Lively allowed his only run in the second. Buster Posey reached on an infield single that could have been ruled an error on third baseman Franco. Posey advanced to second on a balk and reached third on a fielder's choice. He scored on Orlando Calixte's sacrifice fly to hand the Giants a 1-0 lead. 12

13 "He was cool, calm and collected," Mackanin said of Lively. "It was really fun watching him pitch." More > QUOTABLE "I'm sure that some pitchers may find it offensive, but I'm not trying to offend anyone. That's just the way I am and that's the way I'm going to play. Of course, [getting hit in retaliation] worries me a little bit. I don't want to get drilled. But I'm not going to change the way I play. If I get hit, I'm just going to have to rub it in." -- Herrera, on his bat flips. Teammate Andres Blanco told Herrera afterward that Strickland is the pitcher who drilled Bryce Harper earlier this week in San Francisco, causing a bench-clearing brawl. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS It was just the 11th time this season a Phillies starter pitched more than six innings, and the first time it happened since May 21. Phillies starters pitched a combined seven innings in the previous three games: Vince Velasquez (1 1/3 innings Tuesday), Aaron Nola (three innings Thursday) and Jerad Eickhoff (22/3 innings Friday). The Phillies still have not had a starter pitch more than seven innings this season. REPLAY REVIEW The Giants challenged a pickoff play in the bottom of the third inning. They thought they got Cesar Hernandez at first on a throw from Cueto, but first-base umpire Mark Ripperger called Hernandez safe. But replay showed that first baseman Brandon Belt tagged Hernandez before he reached the bag, and the call was overturned. WHAT'S NEXT Giants: Giants left-hander Matt Moore (2-6, 4.98 ERA) will be gunning for his fifth consecutive quality start in Sunday's series finale against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Despite a 2.73 ERA in his last four starts, he's 1-2 in those outings. On May 30, his last time out, he held the Nationals to two runs in six innings, but took the loss when the Giants were shut out. Phillies: Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (5-3, 4.45 ERA) hopes a new month brings better fortunes to him when he starts Sunday's series finale against the Giants. He had a 1.80 ERA in five starts in April, but posted a 7.04 ERA in six starts in May. Hellickson pitched more than five innings just twice in May. 13

14 MLB.com Giants offense cooled by rookie starter Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA -- The Giants were leading by one in the bottom of the fourth, but the Phillies had Odubel Herrera on third base with one out and cleanup hitter Tommy Joseph at the plate. Giants manager Bruce Bochy pulled the infield up, a strategy normally used to try to keep a run from scoring on a grounder to the infield. He explained after what turned out to be a 5-3 loss to the Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park that his reasoning had to do more with the fact that his starter, Johnny Cueto, was pitching so well at that point than any concerns that his offense wouldn't be able to generate many runs. Full Game Coverage "That's just confidence in the pitcher more than what I was thinking our offense was going to do," he said. But he's also aware his team is last in the National League in scoring, despite plating 10 runs the night before, and that to that point had only two infield hits against Phillies right-hander Ben Lively, who was making his Major League debut. "It's always disappointing when you lose," Bochy said. "But when you get one run there until [the ninth inning], that makes it more frustrating because that's kind of been our way here: Have a pretty good game or two and then get shut out or score one. We've got to get some consistency there. The offense didn't wake up until too late." The Giants scored twice against closer Hector Neris in the ninth and brought the potential winning run to the plate before Jeanmar Gomez came out of the bullpen to record a one-pitch save. Lively gave up one run on four hits in his seven innings. And the reality is that lineups often struggle against pitchers they've never seen before. "You don't have a reference on the pitcher," Bochy explained, "his stuff, the movement on the ball. I think it's an excuse at times, because he still has to throw the ball over the plate. But he did have a little different kind of delivery. It wasn't sidearm but it was in between and the ball 14

15 stayed up a lot. We had a tough time catching up with it. It was 91 [mph] and had some rising life to it. "We couldn't figure their kid out. He had a little different arm angle. The four-seamer stayed up and had some rising life to it. We just couldn't get going. You do see it a lot. But at the same time, when pitchers are on and hitting their spots, no matter how many times you've seen them, they dominate." Bochy took some comfort in the fact that the Giants did come back against Neris in the ninth. "We got the winning run up there after being down four runs," he said. "That's always a good thing. It is. But we would have liked to finish the deal and find a way to win some more ballgames with this offense. We just woke up a little too late." MLB.com Moore looking to continue recent roll Paul Hagen The Giants and Phillies will close out their series at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday with a matchup of starting pitchers with contrasting outlooks. For San Francisco, left-hander Matt Moore will be trying to build on his recent success. He's posted a 2.73 ERA in his last four starts after beginning the season with a 1-4 record and 6.52 ERA through May 8. Full Game Coverage "It's pretty easy, really," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "He's commanding the ball so much better. Occasionally that got away from him in the early go and he pitched himself into trouble - - walks, getting behind in the count. He's just been more consistent there with his command, and that's why he's been more consistent with his outings." Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson had a 1.80 ERA in April but is 1-3, 7.04 in six subsequent starts. Opponents have a.971 OPS against him in those six games. 15

16 Coincidentally, Hellickson's key to success is the same as Moore's. "I think it's just command in general," he said after allowing four runs on six hits in six innings in his last start against the Marlins in Miami. "I think the biggest thing is just not getting strike one, falling behind too much. Not getting the quick, easy outs I was getting the first few starts." Added manager Pete Mackanin: "I think they're sitting more on the soft stuff. His changeup doesn't look like it has the same action it had before. To me it looks like he's yanking his changeup and it's coming back to the hitter instead of going away from the hitter. I think that's the difference." Things to know about this game The Phillies are 5-8 against left-handed starters this season and went into Saturday's game batting.222 against southpaws with a.686 OPS. Moore has allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts. After Sunday's game, the Phillies go on the road to play four games at Atlanta, three at St. Louis and two at Boston. They're 7-21 (.250) away from Citizens Bank Park this season. MLB.com Pence s return to Giants appears imminent Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA -- Giants outfielder Hunter Pence, who has missed 20 games with a strained left hamstring, could be activated in time to play against the Phillies in Sunday's series finale at Citizens Bank Park. Manager Bruce Bochy said after Saturday's 5-3 loss at Citizens Bank Park that Pence was en route to Philadelphia and that a decision would be made after he arrives whether he'll return to the lineup immediately or Monday in Milwaukee. Full Game Coverage "Does it make sense, flying across the country for a day game?" Bochy asked rhetorically before 16

17 Saturday's game. "These are the things we're talking about. But you know Hunter. He's battling to get back here and wants to join this club as soon as possible. We've been through this before, so we're not in uncharted territory with him on this." The decision, it turns out, was that it did make sense. Pence was scheduled to arrive at Philadelphia International Airport late Saturday night. Pence was 3-for-10 with two walks and three runs in three games with Class A San Jose. On Friday, he scored from first on a double. "He's running well," Bochy said, adding he was uncertain whether Pence would need any more rehab games. "Running's not an issue at all. It's just a matter of getting his timing at the plate. He says he feels good. He had a couple strikeouts, but he says he feels good. "All is well. He's doing good with the hamstring. It's just a matter of what day we [activate him]." Pence was batting.243 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in 37 games when he went on the disabled list. CSNbayarea.com Giants to get Pence back soon, but this lineup needs much more Alex Pavlovic PHILADELPHIA As he headed off for the start of a short rehab assignment, Hunter Pence told manager Bruce Bochy he would be ready quickly, far sooner than the planned 15 to 20 at-bats. Pence was true to his word, flying to Philadelphia on Saturday evening. The Giants haven t yet decided if Pence will be active Sunday, or if they ll wait until Monday, but it s clear they can use all the help they can get. They can use much more than just Pence. A day after notching 10 runs on 15 hits, the lineup managed just one run through eight innings. A ninth-inning rally fell short, and the Giants lost 5-3 to a Phillies team that had lost 15 of the previous 18. The Giants managed just four hits against Ben Lively, an unheralded 25-year-old making his MLB debut. 17

18 We couldn t figure their kid out, Bochy said. He had a little different arm angle. That fourseamer stayed up and had some life to it. The offense didn t wake up until it was too late. Bochy conceded that it can at times be difficult to face a pitcher for the first time, but he also said there are no excuses. The Giants have made a habit of this, and this was one day where they needed to break from that stride. Lively did not have particularly nasty stuff. He didn t record a strikeout. But that s just the way it s been going for a lineup that continues to make all types of pitchers look dominant. Good, bad, veteran, rookie -- it doesn't matter. To get one run there until late makes it more frustrating, because that s kind of been our way, Bochy said. The one run held up until the sixth, when former Giants prospect Tommy Joseph yanked a changeup out to left. Johnny Cueto thought he was done after that inning, but a double play in the top of the seventh sent Cueto back out at 108 pitches. You just have to be ready, Cueto said. You can t kind of tune out. Cueto said he didn t, but either way, the Phillies were the ones who were ready. Two singles knocked Cueto out of the game and Hunter Strickland gave up two more. Strickland threw a breaking ball to Odubel Herrera that caught too much of the plate, and the center fielder cleared the bases with a double. Strickland said his emotional week did not have any impact on his performance. No, not at all, he said. They are good hitters and he made the adjustment, and he got the best of it. The Phillies became the latest team to get the better of the Giants lineup. A two-out rally in the ninth put the tying run on base and necessitated a pitching change, but pinch-hitter Nick Hundley grounded out on the first pitch he saw. CSNbayarea.com Instant analysis: Alex Pavlovic PHILADELPHIA The Phillies are technically a major league team, and any team can beat any other on any given day. But given the hole the Giants have put themselves in, there really was no excuse for not sweeping the home team this weekend. 18

19 Instead it was the Phillies who celebrated Saturday, coming from behind for a 5-3 win. The Phillies had lost 15 of 18 entering the day. For the Giants, the season-long search for momentum continues. A night after scoring 10 runs and leaving 17 more runners on base, the Giants did nothing against a right-hander making his MLB debut, and they paid the price when the Phillies scored four in the seventh. Here are five things to know from the day we learned nobody in MLB and I mean nobody bat-flips like Odubel Herrera --- The Giants led 1-0 heading into the sixth, but Tommy Joseph the man traded for Hunter Pence wrapped a homer around the left field pole. In the seventh, the wheels came flying off. Johnny Cueto gave up a pair of singles and Hunter Strickland was hit with two singles and a bases-clearing triple by Herrera. --- It has been a brutal week for Strickland. Aside from the looming suspension and everything else that came in the aftermath of his fight, his ERA has jumped from 1.06 to 2.29 over his past three appearances. --- Joseph has carved out a nice role in Philadelphia after concussions kept him from continuing a career as a catcher. He s their everyday starter at first base, and Saturday s homer was his ninth of the year. He hit 21 last season as a rookie. --- The Giants continued their strange trend of not hitting against rookies they were seeing for the first time. Ben Lively threw seven one-run innings, allowing just four hits. --- Cueto got out of the third when he picked Cesar Hernandez off first. A shoutout to Shawon Dunston and Chad Chop for the call from the replay room. We assume Chop helped out, but he ate five cheesesteaks by 2 p.m. local time, so it s possible he was lying on the floor. 19