Jayson Werth had a lot at stake during his two-out, bases-loaded, ninth-inning at-bat. The Phillies were trailing 4-1. Werth was 0-3 and in danger of ending his 20-game streak of reaching safely was in jeopardy and the Phillies were on the verge of getting swept by the Giants and dropping four straight games.
Werth came through with the big three-run double to tie the game up. After a couple wacky innings in the 10th and 11th, the Phillies held on to win 7-6 Wednesday afternoon, snapping their losing streak and preventing the sweep.
The offense needed to wake up and boy did it ever in the final moments of this game. Tim Lincecum was absolutely spectacular but once Giants manager Bruce Bochy yanked him with one out in the ninth, the Phillies had their chance.
Lincecum (4-0, 1.27) went 8.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, one walk, and striking out 11. Hamels (2-2, 5.28) was great too until the sixth inning. He lasted six, allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out 10.
Ryan Howard finally busted out of his mini slump in a big way. Facing Lincecum in the fifth, Howard homered to left for the first time in 65 AB’s. He finished 2-for-4 with a homer and double.
The Phillies got the late rally going. With runners on second and third and two outs, Howard stepped up to the plate. Brian Wilson walked Big Brown to lead the bases for Werth. Werth hit a three-run double that just squeezed in foul to tie the game up at four.
The Phillies then added a run in the top of the 10th when Brian Schneider scored on a wild pitch by Jeremy Affeldt. But San Fran answered in the bottom of the tenth as Ryan Madson blew his second save on the season, allowing an RBI single to Andres Torres.
The Phillies then tacked on two in the 11th. Raul Ibanez led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Francisco. Wilson Valdez then hit an RBI double to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead. They added another run when Eugenio Velez dropped a fly ball to score Valdez, making it 7-5.
But it wasn’t going to be an easy win for the Phillies. Nelson Figueroa got out of a huge jam, surrendering only one run to hold down the fort for the Phillies, earning his first career save.
Doubles: Howard (6), Werth (11), Valdez (1). HR: Howard (4).
WP: Madson (1-0). LP: Romo (0-2). S: Figueroa (1).
TTB 