Giants make 3-run 5th hold up to beat Phils

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants' outfield of Jarrett Parker, Denard Span and Hunter Pence combined to generate most of the club's offense in Thursday night's 5-4 victory over the Phillies that opened a four-game series.
Parker provided the biggest hit among the trio, a two-run double that fueled a three-run, fifth-inning uprising. Pence scored twice, and Span singled and scored in the fifth. This crew combined with cleanup hitter Buster Posey to reach base safely in 10 of 17 plate appearances.
"You get guys on base, that's a good sign," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

The Giants' big fifth was the final inning for Phillies starter Aaron Nola (9-8), who allowed seven hits and all of San Francisco's runs.
"I was just falling behind in counts, getting in good hitters' counts," Nola said. "I made some mistakes and they hit the ball well."
Giants starter Jeff Samardzija (8-12) allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings while recording his fourth victory in five starts. Cameron Rupp and Nick Williams homered off Samardzija in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, to help keep the Phillies close. Samardzija faded in his final inning, when he yielded three runs and needed a clutch double play to help him finish the frame.
"Shark's been doing such a good job of getting us deep in the game. We worked him pretty hard the last two or three starts with the number of pitches," Bochy said. "I think that sixth might have caught up with him a little bit."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sprinting in style: Span and Pence looked more like participants on a relay team than on a baseball team during a particularly picturesque portion of the fifth inning. Matching each other stride for stride, with Span leading Pence by just a few feet, the pair of Giants outfielders scored in photogenic fashion on Parker's fifth-inning double that landed beyond Phillies center fielder Williams. Unsure that Parker's drive would fall safely, Span hesitated at second base before breaking for home. Meanwhile, in typical fashion, Pence was ready to run immediately.
"Being at second, he was like, 'If it gets over [Williams'] head, I can score from here,'" Pence said. "I'm on first, so I'm trying to get going. it was one of those fun plays that was kind of a little weird but it worked out."

Tomlinson's slick glove: Second baseman Kelby Tomlinson fashioned the defensive gem of the game for the Giants when he started a double play that cooled off Philadelphia's three-run rally that evaporated most of the Giants' 5-1 lead in the sixth. With runners on the corners, nobody out and two runs in, Tomlinson darted to his right and dove to stop Tommy Joseph's grounder up the middle. Tomlinson flipped the ball from his glove to shortstop Brandon Crawford, who recorded the out at second and threw to first to retire Joseph by an eyelash.

QUOTABLE
"The baseball gods got him finally." -- Rupp, on Nola's streak of 10 consecutive starts of two or fewer runs allowed being snapped
RUPP'S HOMER IMPRESSES
Rupp hit a solo home run a projected 398 feet to right-center field in the fifth inning. Posey told Rupp later that he has seen only three right-handed hitters homer to that section of the ballpark between the 365-foot and 421-foot signs. It wasn't just hyperbole. Baseball Savant shows only two home runs by right-handed hitters in that section of AT&T Park from 2008-17.

"I felt good," Rupp said. "I hit it and I definitely knew I got it, but I didn't know if it was going to go the way this ballpark plays."

WHAT'S NEXT
Phillies: Right-hander Zach Eflin (1-4, 5.76 ERA) makes his third start since being recalled earlier this month at 10:15 ET Friday night against the Giants at AT&T Park. He has a 4.38 ERA (six earned runs in 12 1/3 innings) in those starts.
Giants: San Francisco owns an 8-24 record this season behind left-hander Matt Moore, who will try once again to improve his luck as the series continues Friday beginning at 7:15 p.m. PT. Moore owns a 2-8 record with a 4.83 ERA this year at AT&T Park.
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