Not a lot has come easy for the San Francisco Giants in the past two months and this series has been a true testament to that philosophy. The Giants managed to win three out of the four games against the Phillies and it seemed to be a different story every night. However, there was one common theme, timely hitting in the late innings.
The Giants started out the series on Monday with an ill Ryan Vogelsong on the mound. He had been struggling with his command virtually all night and could not get out of the fourth inning. However, the bullpen bailed out Vogelsong and the Giants kept pace with the Phillies offense until the sixth inning when they came back in a big way. Adam Duvall hit a 2-run home run off of Cliff Lee who had just returned from a stint on the disabled list. The Giants scored six runs against Lee and tacked on another one late to seal the deal, winning 7-4.
Because the bullpen had been used for six innings, the Giants needed to rely on Yusmeiro Petit (subbing in for Matt Cain) to tide them through so the bullpen could be saved. While Petit did have some strong innings, two runs in the first and three runs in the fifth would prove to be the breaking point for Bruce Bochy. The Giants did chip away throughout the whole game including a home run by Hunter Pence. With the Giants down by a run in the ninth, it looked like Jonathan Papelbon had the game fairly well wrapped up but nobody could've scripted what happened next.
Buster Posey, with one out, ripped a first-pitch fastball over the left field wall to tie the game and send it into the whirlwind that would be five extra innings. The Giants bullpen held their own, providing nine innings of relief. With two outs in the 14th inning, the Giants had the bases loaded for Brandon Crawford, who smacked a double into left field. Tim Lincecum came in to close the game, becoming the first pitcher since Sandy Koufax to pitch both a no-hitter and save a game in the same season. The Giants won in extra innings, 9-6.
Madison Bumgarner was tasked with putting in at least seven innings of work to try and rest an exhausted bullpen. He did just that, but A.J. Burnett warded off a hot Giants offense as well. The game was delayed for 59 minutes due to some inclement weather, putting both starters at risk of being removed. However, both teams decided to continue giving their bullpen a rest, and letting the starters keep going. Both starters kept their dominance, in fact, all of the runs scored in the game didn't come until the ninth inning. Papelbon came up in the ninth to keep the Phillies in it but the Giants once again loaded the bases. Hunter Pence dropped in a double into right field to clear the bases. Santiago Casilla gave up a run in the ninth but closed out the game and clinched a series win, Giants won 3-1.
The Giants now had a shot to sweep in the getaway game with Tim Hudson on the mound. They hoped that their bullpen would get a rest before an all-important series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home. Hudson did just that, going six innings but unfortunately a wild pitch and a botched defensive play proved to be too much. The Giants could not get it done against Phillies' ace Cole Hamels, scoring only one run in the fifth. The Giants dropped the last game of the series, 2-1.
The Giants will go back home with a 5-2 road trip, winning their third straight series and going 7-3 in the last 10 games. They unfortunately lose both of their second basemen, Joe Panik in the first game to a sprained ankle and Ehire Adrianza with a re-injured hamstring in the last game. The Giants may now have to "say hey" to their newly signed secondbasemen, Dan Uggla. No roster move has been made yet. The Giants are now 1.5 games up on the Dodgers and will face them in a three game set this weekend.