San Francisco Giants starter Blake Snell delivers to the Philadelphia Phillies line up in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon May 27. 2024 (AP News photo)

Philadelphia (38-17). 002 200 000 4 7 3

San Francisco 28-27). 030 021 20x. 8 12. 1

Time: 2:44

Attendance: 40,598

Monday, May 27, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–We’re only about a third of the way through the season, so to consider any series critical at this juncture would not only be premature; it would border on the melodramatic. Nonetheless, the Giants’ 8-4 win this afternoon before a sellout crowd of 40,598 was important because it came at the expense of the team with the best winning percentage in the major leagues–.704 at game, .691 after it.

San Francisco had just completed a six game trip to Pittsburgh and New York and, in spite of Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Mets, was 8-2 in its last 10 games. The team’s decisive victory in the first of a three game series indicated that the Giants are, indeed, contenders but also left some serious doubts about their chances. Those doubts centered around Cy Young award winner Blake Snell.

This cool, sunny, and–it goes without saying–breezy Memorial Day afternoon, gave us a chance to see if, after long last, Snell had overcome the negative effects his extended off-season, groin injuries, and paternity leave that had sent him to the mound at 0-3, 11.40, and a distressing WHIP of 2.07. His performance Sunday indicated that he hadn’t.

Snell lasted a mere four innings and threw 90 pitches in them. He allowed four runs, three of them earned, on five hits and two walks, while striking out seven on the way to a no decision that left him at 0-3, 10.42 with a WHIP of 2.00. Randy Rodríguez, who earned his first major league win, replaced him at the start of the Philly fifth.

Snell’s counterpart for Philadelphia, Taijuan Walker, brought an impressive 3-0 won-lost record to this, his 200th career start. His ERA also was impressive but in a dissonant way; it was 5.06. He wasn’t impressive today, yielding a half a dozen runs, five of them earned, on nine hits and two walks. Of his 98 offerings, 65 were considered strikes. The loss left him at 3-1,6.51

The Phillies hit Snell hard in the first, including JT Realmuto’s one out double off the 399 foot marker in front of the Giants’ bullpen that extended his hitting streak to 16 and Alec Boh Bohm’s inning ending line out to Héctor Ramos in left.

The Giants did more against Walker than just threaten. They tattooed him. Matt Chapman opened the second with a walk and moved up a base on Patrick Bailey’s single to right. After Jorge Soler flew out to center, Mike Yastrzemski lashed a two bagger into the right field corner, driving in Chapman and Bailey. The offensive paused when Ramos took a called third strike but resumed with Brett Wisely’s RBI single to center. When the dust had settled, the home team led, 3-0.

That didn’t last long. Kyele Schwarber’s 10th home run of the year, which flew over the State Farm advertisement embedded in the right field wall in the top of the third, closed the gap to 3-2. A nice running catch by Yastrzemski of Bohm’s fly to right center kept things from getting out of hand.

That happened in their next turn at bat. Edmundo Sosa socked a triple to base of the center field fence and scored on Snell’s wild pitch to Whit Merrifield. Chapman’s error when he couldn’t pick up Merrifield’s hopping ground ball allowed the Phillies’ second sacker to reach first and then steal his way into scoring position.

Johan Rojas then dumped a single into center, Merrifield scored, and Philadelphia had grabbed a 4-3 lead. It could have been worse; Schwarber drew a walk and then. combined with Rojas to pull off a double steal before Realmuto whiffed for the final out of the frame.

The Giants grabbed the lead back in their half of the fifth, thanks, in part, to some bad fielding. Matos beat out a bad throw by third baseman Bohm on a tough play that was scored as a hit. LaMonte Wade, Jr. whacked a double off the left edge of the State Farm sign in right center to put two runners in scoring position.

It was a pyrrhic victory; Wade aggravated the hamstring injury from which he had been recovering. Wilmer Flores pinch ran for him and remained in the game to play first. Estrada followed Wade’s double with a hot shot to third that Bohm couldn’t handle and which let Flores move up 90 feet. He scored on Bailey’s sac fly to left.

San Francisco tacked on another tally in the sixth on a walk to Yastrzemski and Wisely’s double off the Visa advertisement in right center. That gave Erik Miller a 6-4 lead when he came in to pitch the top of the seventh. He retired Rojas quickly and then got Schwarber to lift a pop up in front of the plate.

Miller, Flores, and Chapman converged on the ball, which fell between them for a sun and wind aided infield single. Then Miller retired the dangerous Realmuto. and Harper to put an end to that uprising.

Walker didn’t come out for the home half of the seventh; José Ruíz did and was the victim of fielding that was worthy of the 1962 Mets. Errors by Bohm (yes, him again) and Merrifield, along with Estrada’s infield single and Ramos’s safety to center, upped the Giants’ advantage to 8-4.

Matt Strahm replaced Walker to pitch the bottom of the eighth, which was uneventful except for Estrada’s shot down the third base line that ate up Bohn and went into left for a two out double.

Camilo Doval allowed a double off the National Car Rental ad in left field to close out the game.

The Giants, who were swept earlier this month in their four game visit to the City of Brotherly Love, have a chance to clinch the current series Tuesday. The Giants haven’t yet announced who will start. Philadelphia will go with Zack Wheeler (6-3, 2.53). Game time will be 6:45pm PT.