Giants Shut Out Phillies Behind Ray’s Strong Start
SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — Robbie Ray dominated over 6 2/3 shutout innings and the San Francisco Giants’ offense broke through with a dozen hits to snap a three-game skid with a 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night at Oracle Park.
A crowd of 32,403 watched the Giants, who entered the night with the National League’s worst record, methodically pull away from a Phillies team that had won six of its first ten games. The win improved San Francisco to 4-8, while Philadelphia fell to 6-5.
The most important part of the game was Ray’s command and the Giants’ immediate, sustained offensive response, which began in the first inning and never relented. Philadelphia, a pregame favorite according to betting markets and statistical projections, was stifled throughout, managing only four singles and a double against a combination of Ray and three relievers.
Ray, the veteran left-hander, earned his second win against one loss this season. He scattered three hits, struck out seven, and walked none, effectively neutralizing the heart of the Phillies’ order. His performance was a stark contrast to that of Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, who took the loss to fall to 1-1. Sánchez was charged with three runs on eight hits over five innings.
San Francisco set the tone immediately against Sánchez. Willy Adames led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored two batters later when Luis Arraez grounded out softly to first base, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
The Giants doubled their lead and broke the game open in the fifth. With one out and a runner on first, Matt Chapman laced an RBI double to left field to score Daniel Susac. Arraez followed with a single to center, plating Chapman to extend the lead to 3-0.
Philadelphia’s best scoring chance came in the seventh after Ray had departed. Edmundo Sosa and Dylan Moore drew two-out walks from reliever Ryan Walker, putting the tying run at the plate. But Justin Crawford grounded out to Walker to end the threat, preserving the three-run cushion.
San Francisco added an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Jung Hoo Lee, scoring Rafael Devers. They then put the game completely out of reach in the eighth against the Philadelphia bullpen. A two-out, two-run triple by catcher Daniel Susac, his third hit of the night, capped the scoring at 6-0. The hit scored Heliot Ramos, who had reached on an error, and Casey Schmitt, who had walked.
The Giants’ bullpen was flawless in support of Ray. Ryan Walker navigated 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Keaton Winn pitched a perfect eighth, and the ninth was handled efficiently to seal the combined shutout. San Francisco’s 12 hits were a season high, with multi-hit games from Adames, Chapman, and Susac. Chapman finished 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Philadelphia, which had averaged over five runs per game in its first ten contests, was held scoreless for the first time this season. The Phillies went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper, the top three hitters in the lineup, combined to go 2 for 10 with two walks.
The victory was a significant rebound for the Giants, who were coming off a 6-4 loss to these same Phillies on Monday and had been outscored 24-6 in a three-game sweep by the New York Mets over the weekend. For the Phillies, the loss halted the momentum from a series win in Colorado and the Monday night victory here.
The two teams conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park. Philadelphia will then return home to open a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, while the Giants will embark on a road trip beginning Friday in Baltimore against the Orioles.