By Sam Bush
The Phillies learned last night what it feels like to play a real major league team, not the second-raters they had been facing lately.
And they sank to a new low, thanks to the Keystone Kops base-running of Ben Revere and Luis Garcia’s lousy impersonation of a relief pitcher.
Buster Posey hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, and Matt Duffy and Justin Maxwell also homered, helping the San Francisco Giants snap a five-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Phillies.
The defending World Series champions spent Thursday’s off day visiting the White House for the third time in five years. Right-hander Tim Lincecum didn’t make the trip to Washington, instead flying by himself from San Francisco to Philadelphia to be fully rested for Friday’s start.
Lincecum (6-3) didn’t have his best stuff, but was good enough, allowing four runs on five hits in six innings, with four strikeouts and two walks.
”The guys kept me in the game,” Lincecum said. ”I just wanted to give the team a chance to win. The guys put together some good at-bats for me.”
Joe Panik contributed two hits with a double for the Giants, who won their fourth straight on the road and 10th in the last 13 in Philly. San Francisco opened a six-game road trip.
”It was a good win because we’ve come off a tough skid at home,” manager Bruce Bochy said. ”It’s always good to get that first game of a road trip.”
Ryan Howard and Maikel Franco homered for Philly, which has lost nine of 11.
Posey snapped a 4-4 tie with his ninth homer of the season with two outs in the seventh off Luis Garcia (2-2). Posey finished 2 for 4, breaking out of a 4-for-28 slump. Clearly, Posey is very comfortable at Citizens Bank Park: he is now a .400 career hitter there.
”Just looking for a pitch I could handle and get the barrel on it,” he said.
The Phillies’ threat in the bottom of the frame was put out by an odd double play. With runners on first and third and one out, Jeff Francoeur flied out to shallow right. Ben Revere took off from first on the pitch and reached second base, apparently thinking the ball was going to fall in, but failed to touch second base on the way back to first. The Giants appealed the play and Revere was called out.
”Everybody was yelling, especially (pitching coach Dave Righetti),” Bochy said. ”It was a good call.”
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg suggested that Revere didn’t know the rule.
”He went right over the top (of the base),” Sandberg said. ”I don’t know that he knew he has to do that.”
Revere, though, said he knew the rule and just missed the bag.
”I was trying to get my butt back to (first base),” he said. ”I thought I put my foot on the bag, but it was a half-inch. That’s all it takes. In that situation, I tried to get back as quick as possible. It’s unfortunate.”
Santiago Casilla pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 16th save in 19 opportunities.
