San Francisco Giants Rafael Devers slugs an RBI single agianst the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom eighth at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Apr 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Philadelphia Phillies 0 (6-6)

San Francisco Giants 5 (5-8)

Win: Matt Gage (1-0)

Loss: Aaron Nola (1-1)

Time: 2:29

Attendance: 36,106

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–After the Giants’ bullpen blew late leads on Sunday and Monday, the Giants shut out the Phillies in back-to-back games to get a massive series win against one of the best teams in Baseball. Wednesday, Tyler Mahle and the Giants’ bullpen shut out the Phillies 5-0.

The Giants suffered a devastating loss to open the series Monday night, as the bullpen blew a 4-0 lead, and the offense only got two hits in the final five innings of the game. They then bounced back nicely Tuesday night with a big 6-0 win behind a strong start by Robbie Ray. I get that it was only April 7, and that there is really no such thing as a must-win game this time of the year, but the Giants truly needed that win last night.

Tyler Mahle took the ball on another gorgeous day at Oracle Park, and survived a jam in the top of the first inning. Aaron Nola went for the Phillies, and the game quickly turned into a pitcher’s duel.

Mahle wasn’t dominant, as he had to work out of another jam in the top of the third, but he was still solid, as he gave up just three hits over five and two-thirds shutout innings. Nola, on the other hand, was dominant, though he had to work through a jam in the bottom of the fourth.

The Giants had runners at first and second with two outs in the bottom of the sixth for Rafael Devers. To be honest, I didn’t have much faith that Devers would come through. He froze like a statue on a fastball right on the inside corner in the bottom of the fourth, and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the bottom of the fourth. Just before I was able to tell Sportstalk podcaster Bruce Magowan, who was sitting next to me in the press box, that Devers would pop up all over himself, he hit a three-run home run to straightaway center.

Now, it was up to the Giants’ bullpen to hold the lead. Matt Gage, who finished the top of the sixth, was back out for the seventh. Gage retired the first man he faced, but after Otto Kemp lined a pinch-hit single to right, Tony pulled Gage for Caleb Kilian.

I didn’t particularly like the move, and when Kilian walked Trea Turner on four pitches to get Schwarber up to the plate as the tying run, I was certain that we would see a Schwar-bomb end up somewhere in the South Bay. I was already wrong about Devers in the sixth. Much to my pleasant surprise, Schwarber struck out, and Harper grounded out to second. Kilian did his job. The inning was over, and the shutout was still intact.

Blade Tidwell threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth, and the Giants tacked on two more runs against Jose Alvarado in the bottom of the eighth. Erik Miller was the guy for the top of the ninth, and he threw a 1-2-3 inning to close it out.

Matt Gage got his first big league win, and Aaron Nola took the loss.

The Giants improve to 5-8, and considering the fact that I expected them to be 3-10 after these first two weeks, I am ecstatic.

The Giants will now head back on the road for a three-city swing through Baltimore, Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. I have no clue why they are going to another metropolitan area in between their two series in the Beltway. I have tried making my own Major League Baseball schedules in the past, but it is one of the most difficult jigsaw puzzles to solve.

Anyway, the Giants begin a three-game series against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday. RHP Landen Roupp (1-1 ERA 4.22) will go for the Giants, and RHP Shane Baz (0-0 ERA 4.09) will go for the Orioles.

First pitch will be at 7:15 p.m EDT. in Baltimore, 4:15 p.m PDT in San Francisco