By Sam Bush
Vinny Velasquez recovered from a slow start to strike out 12 in six innings, Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer and the Phillies rallied past the Giants 6-3 for a four-game sweep.
The Giants took a 3-0 lead in the second inning before the Velasquez regrouped, beginning a string of five straight strikeouts.
”It’s just a different mentality when you give up three runs,” he said. ”You kind of just say, forget it and keep moving on and get more aggressive.”
Phillies starters Zach Eflin, Aaron Nola, Nick Pivetta and Velasquez combined to allow four runs in 24 2/3 innings in the series with 40 strikeouts.
The Giants struck out 55 times, obliterating the previous team record of 44 in a four-game series set in 2003, according to Stats LLC.
”They’re all big arms. They’re all hitting 95-plus (mph) and they have good secondary pitches,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ”(Velasquez) had a good curveball going. You look at this club, and they’ve been playing good. And if you’re playing good you probably have pretty good starting pitching.”
Odubel Herrera added three hits and drove in two runs, extending his on-base streak to 39 games for the Phillies, who improved to 15-5 at home.
Gregor Blanco and Alen Hanson homered to give the Giants a 3-0 lead in the second. Velasquez (3-4) allowed five hits, with his velocity improving as the game moved on.
Santana, batting .153 entering May, continued his recent tear when he connected off Ty Blach (3-4) in a four-run fourth. Santana, signed away from Cleveland in the offseason, has driven in 15 runs in the past six games.
Herrera doubled earlier in the fourth to give him the Phillies’ longest on-base streak since Bobby Abreu (48) in 2000-01. Herrera added RBI singles off Will Smith in the fifth and Sam Dyson in the seventh, lifting his average to an MLB-best .353.
”I think we’re seeing him lay off more pitches than he has in the past,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. ”The walk rate is up a little bit and I think he’s hitting in a really good spot in this lineup with some real damage behind him.”
Rhys Hoskins had an RBI single off Blach, who gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Giants, who were coming off a three-game sweep at Atlanta, were outscored 32-8 in Philadelphia.
”We’re not going to dwell on this,” Bochy said.
With Andrew McCutchen and Buster Posey getting scheduled days off, the Giants took their first lead of the series when Blanco hit the game’s second pitch over the right-field wall.
Hanson’s two-run shot in the second made it 3-0 and was the seventh homer allowed by Velasquez in his past four starts. Velasquez immediately settled down, striking out 10 of 12 hitters at one point and and adding two singles at the plate.
Seranthony Dominguez, Luis Garcia and Hector Neris each threw a hitless inning, with Neris earning his eighth save.
