Phillies Rally Past Giants Behind Harper’s Three RBIs
SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — Bryce Harper broke out of a brief slump with three hits and three RBIs, including a decisive two-run single in a four-run seventh inning, to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night at Oracle Park.
Harper, who was hitless in his previous eight at-bats over two games, finished 3 for 4 with a walk and drove in the tying and go-ahead runs as the Phillies (6-4) erased a 4-2 deficit. His performance anchored a pivotal inning that saw Philadelphia send 10 men to the plate against three Giants relievers.
The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the seventh with the Giants holding a two-run lead. Justin Crawford led off with a single against Ryan Borucki, and Trea Turner followed with another single. After a successful challenge by Kyle Schwarber turned a strikeout into a walk to load the bases with no outs, Harper stepped in.
On a 1-1 count from Borucki, Harper grounded a single through the right side, scoring Crawford and Turner to tie the game at 4. Alec Bohm then followed with a ground-rule double down the right-field line, scoring Schwarber to give Philadelphia its first lead since the early innings. Harper later scored on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh to cap the rally, providing critical insurance runs.
The offensive outburst made a winner of Jonathan Bowlan, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning in relief. Bowlan (1-0) struck out two. Jhoan Duran worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season, though he allowed a two-out double to Willy Adames before securing the final out.
The Giants (3-8), who have lost five of their last six, initially built their lead behind a productive third inning. Adames led off with a double and scored, along with Luis Arraez, on a triple by Matt Chapman. Heliot Ramos followed with an RBI single to give San Francisco a 3-0 advantage. They added another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Arraez.
San Francisco starter Adrian Houser navigated traffic for six innings, allowing nine hits and four runs. He left with the lead, but the bullpen could not hold it. Borucki (0-1) was charged with the loss, surrendering three runs while recording only one out in the seventh.
Philadelphia’s bullpen quartet of José Alvarado, Bowlan, Brad Keller and Duran combined for four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out five to seal the victory. The Giants, meanwhile, went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
The game’s outcome aligned with the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which predicted a 6-4 Phillies win. Philadelphia was also a pregame favorite with a -1.5 spread, and the total of 10 runs went under the over/under line of 8.
Beyond Harper’s key hits, Chapman stood out for the Giants, going 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs. Adames also had a pair of doubles in the loss.
The victory gives the Phillies a winning record on their road trip so far and sets up the middle game of the three-game series on Tuesday. The Giants will look to snap their skid as they continue a challenging homestand.
Attendance at Oracle Park was 32,898. The time of game was 2 hours, 49 minutes.