The home run that sealed the Phillies’ 3-2 loss to San Francisco on Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park seemed nearly inevitable.
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Span started the road trip amid rumblings that he might defer his leadoff spot to Eduardo Nuez. Cameron Rupp followed with his 12th of the season, giving the Phillies back-to-back home runs for the fifth time this season and cutting the Giants lead in half, too.
“The first three at-bats (Cueto) threw me balls right down the middle and I just took it”, he explained. “We needed this one”. This Phillies team played us tough all year. They keep fighting and the first two games, we had opportunities to win.
“They’ve been swinging the bats well, and what?”
Span was the catalyst all day for the Giants, but none of his three hits were bigger than his extra-inning blast. “Some of those pitches were close”.
Prior to the game, Bochy assured Nez that he would be the club’s everyday third baseman for the remainder of the season. PH Jimmy Paredes drew a walk with one out and 2B Cesar Hernandez hit a single.
Davidson said the fan heckled him for two straight batters, but he halted the game with the next hitter up when Davidson felt the fan made a sexual reference and used foul language.
“I know he had to hear rumors, but we were comfortable with how he was throwing the ball”.
“But I really didn’t think it was anything”, Nola said. With one out, Angel Pagan went on to steal second base.
One misguided sports fan I know thought it was ludicrous, ridiculous and a “WTF” moment for Davidson to take such action on Tuesday night, furiously emailing that those who don’t want their kids or wives subjected to that sort of talk should sit in a designated “family” section – or better yet, simply shouldn’t bring them to games. “I don’t need that stuff (talk of being moved in the lineup) to motivate me, to be honest. I’ve been grinding my butt off all year”.
“I had to push myself and at least get to five innings”, Velasquez said. “It wasn’t a bad blister, but you could see it developing”. Belt followed with a towering shot that wrapped around the right field pole for a tying, three-run home run. Span scored Panik from third on a sac fly.
Moore, who acknowledged overthrowing early due to an abundance of adrenaline, coughed up a lead before he recorded his first out.
Aaron Altherr is glad to be healthy and back helping the Phillies.
The home run was Howard’s 15th of the season.
The win came largely due to a big solo home run, but was also aided by a Phillies baserunning gaffe in the bottom of the 9th inning.
“I didn’t realize his curveball was that good”, said Span, who had a direct view from center field. That doesn’t make it right or acceptable to look the other way, especially because team security details continually do little to effectively police the stands and help EVERYONE who paid for their tickets have a more enjoyable game experience.
After Altherr’s double in the first, Moore didn’t allow another hit until the sixth, when the Phillies scored on a leadoff walk, two soft singles and a fielder’s choice. Sergio Romo got the final out of the ninth, and Santiago Casilla secured his 25th save of the season.
San Francisco put runners on first and second with no outs in the eighth.
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Romo became the first major league pitcher to receive a victory without facing a batter since the Rockies” Alan Embree in 2009, and the first Giant since Tyler Walker in “05. “To get a win here does a lot for the psyche and morale of the ballclub”. “Hopefully I can get in there tomorrow and do my job”. “I had a hard time putting guys away”. “They don’t have to come here and listen to that”.
