San Francisco Giants’ Joey Bart, left, scores against Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto during the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

Philadelphia (20-22). 000 200 001. – 3. 10. 1

San Francisco (19-23). 002 200 00x. – 4. 10. 0

Time: 2:42

Attendance: 24,304

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–In tonight’s battle of underperforming teams, the Philadelphia Phillies fell the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 in a wild a wooly affair.

32 year old Zach Wheeler, who started for the Phillies had been very effective in his last outing, a 2-1 ten inning win over Toronto in Rogers Centre last Wednesday,. On that occasion, he held the Blue Jays to one run, earned, on three hits over seven innings, coming away with a no decision.

He and the Giants share some history. When he was still a prospect, back in 2011, San Francisco traded him to the Mets for Carlos Beltrán. In spite of missing the 2015 and ’16 seasons after undergoing Tommy Johns surgery, the right handed pitcher went on to go 77-59, 3.43 from 2013 through last week’s tidy performance north of the border. He entered tonight’s contest at 3-2, 3.80 for the season..

The one time Giant prospect was up against the current ace of the San Francisco rotation, Alex Cobb took the mound at 3-3, 1.70 and almost immediately found himself in hot water surrendering a lead off walk and a single. He then almost immediately got out of the troublesome situation, inducing a double play and fly to right.

Cobb needed to pull off another Houdini trick in the top of the second after a double, a pair of walks, and a couple of stolen bases loaded the sacks with two down and the top of the order in the person of Bryson Stott at bat. Cobb got him to fly out to left. It had taken 44 pitches for Cobb to get through those two frames. Control problems continued to plague Cobb in the third, in which he issued another pair of passports while still managing to keep the Phils off the board.

Yet it was the Giants who scored first. Blake Sabol led off the bottom of the third with a single to right. After Joey Bart flew out to center, LaMonte Wade, Jr. also sent the ball to center field, this time for a single that Brandon Marsh dropped for a moment, allowing Wade to take second on the error. Sabol reached third on the hit. Estrada singled to center, plating Sabol, and Michael Conforto drove Wade in with a single to left that made it 2-0, Giants.

The Phillies kept on threatening. With one out in the fourth, Marsh singled to left center, and Kody Clemens rattled a single off the fencing in front of Levi’s Landing in right to put runners on the corners. Stott singled solidly to right center, and it was 2-1 with runners still on the corners.

First base umpire Rob Drake called a balk on Cobb, moving Stott to second. The Cobb went to pieces. He unleashed two wild pitches to Trea Turner, one of then on a third strike, and, before you knew what was happening, the game was tied at two, Turner was on first, Stott was on third, and Taylor Rogers was on the mound. He preserved the tie.

Then the Giants got lucky. With one out, Casey Schmitt hit a hard infield single single to third. With two down, Bart’s up the right field line fell off the glove of diving second baseman Stott for a Texas League double that drove in Schmitt. Wade proceeded to smack a double to left, and Bart just beat the throw home. Philadelphia disputed the call, which stood, and the Phillies lost their challenge.

Cobb had gone a precarious 3-1/3 innings in which he allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits, five walks, two wild pitches, and a balk. His ERA rose to a still outstanding 1.94, and he escaped with a no decision. He threw 86 pitches, 52 for strikes.

Then the Giants got lucky. With one out in the fourth, Casey Schmitt hit a hard infield single single to third. With two down, Bart’s pop up near the right field line fell off the glove of diving second baseman Stott for a Texas League double that drove in Schmitt. Wade proceeded to smack a double to left, and Bart just beat the throw home. Philadelphia disputed the call, which stood, and the Phillies lost their challenge. San Francisco now was ahead, 4-2.

Rogers struck out Kyle Schwarber to open the top of the fifth and then passed the ball to John Brebbia. The good John Brebbia was on display tonight, and he shut Philadelphia out for 1–2/3 innings. The submarining Rogers, Tyler, held off the Phils in the seventh and eighth.

Camilo Duval made his expected appearance in the top of the ninth. He fanned Harper. Castellanos flew out to Mike Yastrzemski in right center. The crowd rose to its feet. Schwarber rose to the occasion and sent a home run over the 391 foot sign in center field, bringing the Fightin’ Phils from the City of Brotherly Love to within a run of the representatives of the City of St. Francis. Duval also rose to the occasion and struck Realmuto out swinging.

Tomorrow’s encounter will be a Wednesday afternoon matinee. The game is scheduled to begin at 12:45 with Taijuan Walker (3-2, 5.75) going for the visitors. San Francisco’s starter hasn’t yet been named..