Giants at Phillies
San Francisco Giants center fielder Denard Span has made himself extremely comfortable at Citizens Bank Park, with the most recent evidence being his fifth career five-hit performance in the opener of a three-game series versus the host Philadelphia Phillies. Span has recorded 17 hits in his last 29 at-bats in the City of Brotherly Love entering Saturday's contest against the free-falling Phillies.
Eduardo Nunez has been hitting regardless of venue of late, collecting two doubles and a single in the opener to give him 24 hits in his last 16 games to raise his batting averaging from .246 to .288. The outbursts by Span and Nunez paved the way for a season-best 10 runs and campaign high-tying 15 hits by San Francisco, which entered that contest after being limited to just four runs in a three-game sweep by Washington. Philadelphia is singing a much sadder tune, as it has been outscored 31-5 in its last four games, scored two or fewer runs in 10 of its last 12 and has dropped 26 of 32 overall to secure the worst record in the majors. "I'm at a loss for words. Bad way to start the month," said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, who had a front row seat to watch his team record a historically bad month in May.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, NBCSN Bay Area (San Francisco), CSN Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Johnny Cueto (5-4, 4.37 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Ben Lively (NR)
Cueto snapped a four-start winless skid on Sunday after allowing one run on six hits in as many innings en route to a 7-1 triumph versus Atlanta. The 31-year-old Dominican kept the ball in the park after getting shredded for three homers in his previous outing against the Chicago Cubs. Cueto traditionally has struggled against Philadelphia, posting a 1-4 mark with a 5.37 ERA in 11 career appearances while allowing the Phillies to bat .272 versus him.
Lively, who was acquired in a deal for outfielder Marlon Byrd in late 2014, was tabbed as the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2016. The 25-year-old recorded an 18-5 mark with a 2.69 ERA in time split between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year. Lively kept the run of success going in 2017, posting a 6-1 mark with a 2.40 ERA in nine starts with the IronPigs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia OF/INF Howie Kendrick is 6-for-16 with a homer and two runs scored in four contests since returning from a 37-game absence due to an abdominal strain.
2. San Francisco C Buster Posey is 7-for-16 with two RBIs during his four-game hitting streak.
3. Phillies 3B Maikel Franco has answered a 2-for-21 stretch with three hits in his last two contests.