PHILADELPHIA -- The Giants started Thursday by getting walked off, 3-2, in Game 1 of their split doubleheader against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Somehow, it only got worse from there.
The Giants blew another one-run lead in the ninth inning and couldn’t overcome a series of late mistakes in another 6-5 walk-off loss in 10 innings, sealing a sweep of the doubleheader and their three-game series against the Phillies.
It was the first time the Giants had been walked off in both ends of a doubleheader since July 15, 1956, against the Reds. That both gut punches came at the hands of the Phillies, who fired manager Rob Thomson after losing 11 of their previous 12 games entering this series, only made the outcome even more painful.
“Obviously, not a good day,” first-year Giants manager Tony Vitello said. “A lot of things you'd like to replay, redo, but you can't do that. It's a bitter pill to swallow. We’ll get on a plane and see what you can make of the rest of the road trip.”
The Giants trailed, 4-2, before Game 2 was suspended due to a brief downpour at the end of the fifth inning. They showed some renewed life when play resumed 24 minutes later, with Luis Arraez delivering a two-run, game-tying single off Trevor Richards in the top of the sixth.
San Francisco took its first lead on Jung Hoo Lee’s go-ahead single off lefty José Alvarado in the top of the ninth, but the Phillies managed to pull even in the bottom half of the inning.
Keaton Winn pitched a scoreless eighth and returned to the mound to try to close it out in the ninth, though he fell into trouble after surrendering a leadoff double to Brandon Marsh. Winn then walked Garrett Stubbs before surrendering a two-out, game-tying double to Kyle Schwarber.
It was the fourth hit of the game for Schwarber, who also teamed up with Trea Turner to hit back-to-back homers off veteran right-hander Adrian Houser in the bottom of the first inning.
The Giants had lefty Matt Gage warming in the bullpen in the ninth, but they decided to let Winn pitch to Schwarber, who saw seven consecutive splitters before pulling a 3-2 offering to right field to score Marsh and make it 5-5.
“There's difficult decisions when Schwarber is up to bat,” Vitello said. “I didn't make any of the right decisions; you can call it that way.”
The pitch selection was eerily similar to the one the Giants used against Bryson Stott in the ninth inning of Game 1. Stott also saw nine consecutive sinkers before delivering a game-tying triple off Ryan Walker, who was charged with his second blown save of the year.
“It’s just something we need to figure out,” Walker said when asked why he didn’t incorporate his slider more. “Obviously, that would have been beneficial. The two-seam’s been working a lot. I think we overused it, definitely, today. But that’s in the back of my mind. If we utilize the slider in that situation, it's a different story.
“I have a tough time shaking. I'm not a big shaker. I put a lot of trust in my catchers. I still have a ton of trust in [catcher Patrick] Bailey, whatever he calls. Especially as a two-pitch guy, I have the confidence to get outs with both pitches in any situation. But honestly, nine two-seams to Stott is not ideal. We'll be making some changes in terms of situational pitching.”
Bailey’s thought process on the Stott and Schwarber at-bats?
“Good pitches, we’re trying to get them out,” Bailey said. "I trust my guys and their pitches.”
Vitello also noted that pitching coach Justin Meccage was “calling from the dugout, trying to get Schwarber to chase up” on Winn’s splitters in the ninth. Winn went on to intentionally walk Bryce Harper before retiring Adolis García to send the game into extra innings.
The Giants had a chance to retake the lead in the top of the 10th, but third-base coach Hector Borg made the questionable decision to not send the automatic runner -- the speedy Gilbert -- home when Heliot Ramos smoked a single that deflected off the glove of Stott at second and rolled into center field.
“I feel pretty good holding him right there with [Matt Chapman] coming up and Arraez,” Borg said. “They both put the ball in play. … When the second baseman kind of hit the ball, it kind of killed the ball more than I thought. But I feel pretty good in that situation with those guys coming up.”
Still, Gilbert was stranded at third after Chase Shugart retired Chapman, Arraez and Casey Schmitt to end the inning. The Phillies then staged their final rally in the bottom of the 10th, with Stott laying down a bunt to set up Alec Bohm’s walk-off sac fly against Gage.
“Not good enough,” Vitello said of the Giants’ 13-18 start. “On everybody's part.”