Phillies 3, Pirates 2
PHILADELPHIA -- Cole Hamels pitched seven strong innings and right fielder Jeff Francoeur threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the game as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Wednesday night, ending a four-game losing streak.
Hamels (3-3) allowed two runs and five hits while striking out nine, walking one and hitting two batters. It was his third win in four starts and he improved to 10-0 in 16 starts since the start of last season in which the Phillies scored three runs or more while he is in the game.
Before Wednesday, Hamels had received an average of just 1.84 runs per game, worst in the National League. But the Phillies scored all of their runs in the fifth, the last on a bloop single by shortstop Freddy Galvis. Hamels made that stand up, retiring the last seven hitters he faced.
Ken Giles worked a scoreless eighth for the Phillies and Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his seventh save this season and his 113th for Philadelphia, giving him sole possession of the franchise record that he shared with Jose Mesa.
Francoeur actually saved Papelbon.
The Philadelphia closer walked leadoff hitter Francisco Cervelli in the ninth and one out later threw wildly on a pickoff attempt at first base, allowing pinch-runner Steve Lombardozzi to go to third. Shortstop Jordy Mercer then lifted a foul fly to Francoeur, who caught it and fired to catcher Carlos Ruiz for the putout on Lombardozzi at the plate.
Center fielder Andrew McCutchen drove in both runs for the Pirates with a fifth-inning single, but Pittsburgh saw a four-game winning streak end.
Pirates starter Francisco Liriano (1-3) went seven innings and allowed three runs and seven hits while striking out six and walking three.
Neither team scored until the top of the fifth.
Pirates second baseman Neil Walker and Mercer led off the inning with singles and Liriano sacrificed. Hamels then hit third baseman Josh Harrison with a pitch to load the bases but struck out first baseman Sean Rodriguez for the second out. McCutchen followed by lining a first-pitch fastball into center field for a two-run single and a 2-0 lead.
The next batter, left fielder Starling Marte, was ruled safe on a bouncer to third for an apparent RBI single. But the call was overturned after a replay review.
The Phillies answered with three in their half of the fifth. Ruiz delivered the first with a double and center fielder Ben Revere drove in the second with an infield bouncer. Galvis gave Philadelphia the lead when he blooped an RBI single just inside the right field line.
NOTES: There is continuing speculation that the Phillies will recall 3B Maikel Franco from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the near future. Franco had the winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday's 6-5 victory over Columbus and the game-tying single in the 10th inning of a 3-2, 12-inning loss to the Clippers on Wednesday. "He's continuing to swing the bat well and play steady at third," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He's doing well on all parts of the game this week, and he has for an extended amount of time here." ... The game marked only the fourth this season in which the Pirates faced a left-handed starting pitcher. They lost two of the previous three.