Giants win on Span's homer in 10th
PHILADELPHIA -- For the second day in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants needed extra innings to decide a winner. In Thursday afternoon's series finale, Denard Span helped reverse the fortune of the Giants, who fell in 12 innings Wednesday night.
Span's line-drive home run to lead off the top of the 10th inning off Severino Gonzalez gave the Giants a 3-2 win and avoided a sweep in Philadelphia.
Santiago Casilla pitched a clean 10th inning to earn his 25th save.
The win provided a positive feeling for a team that entered Thursday with a major-league-worst 4-13 record since the All-Star break.
Matt Moore, acquired at the trade deadline from Tampa, made his first start for the Giants.
San Francisco (62-46) gave Moore a lead in the first inning off Phillies starter Vince Velasquez. Span led off with a single and later scored on a Brandon Crawford single as Velasquez struggled with his command early but got through the troubles only allowing that one run.
The Phillies (50-60) got the run right back in the bottom half of the first. Moore walked Cesar Hernandez to lead off the inning and then served up a run-scoring double off the bat of Phillies center fielder Aaron Altherr.
Both pitchers settled in during the middle innings.
After running up a high pitch count in the early innings, Velasquez lasted just five frames. In the fifth inning, after allowing a single to Joe Panik and walking Trevor Brown, the training staff came out to observe Velasquez, who appeared to have some sort of issue with a finger on his right (throwing) hand.
Velasquez stayed in the game to finish the inning -- but not before Span's sacrifice fly scored Panik -- and was replaced by a pinch hitter in the bottom of the inning. He needed 93 pitches to get through those five innings in which he allowed two runs on three hits. He struck out six and walked three.
Philadelphia was able to get to Moore in the home half of the sixth. A single by Tyler Goeddel loaded the bases with one out for shortstop Freddy Galvis, who bounced a ball up the middle. The Giants were only able to get the out at second base, allowing Tommy Joseph to cross the plate with the game-tying run.
But Span's late-inning heroics put a stop to a third consecutive come-from-behind win for the Phillies.
NOTES: San Francisco's acquisition of LHP Matt Moore from Tampa Bay forced RHP Jake Peavy to the bullpen. The veteran Peavy made his first appearance out of the bullpen in Wednesday extra-inning loss. ... Wednesday's come-from-behind win was the first time the Phillies came back to win a game they trailed by four or more runs in their last 41 tries. ... The Phillies optioned Wednesday's starter, RHP Phil Klein, back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalled LHP Elvis Araujo. ... San Francisco continues its road trip Friday in Washington. ... The Phillies head back on the road for a westward swing, starting Friday night in San Diego.