Phillies Fall Short as Giants Smash Three Homers in Series Opener
In a thrilling matchup on Monday night, the San Francisco Giants took down the Philadelphia Phillies with a decisive 10-4 victory, powered by homers from Willy Adames, Mike Yastrzemski, and Tyler Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald not only went deep but also added a double and a triple to his impressive performance.
The Giants, fresh off a weekend series where they claimed two out of three games against the Yankees, continued their strong start to the season. With an 11-4 record, they are only trailing the San Diego Padres, who boast a remarkable 13-3 start, as of Monday.
For the Phillies, Nick Castellanos provided a glimmer of hope with a home run, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Giants reliever Erik Miller narrowly avoided disaster in the seventh inning when J.T. Realmuto nearly hit a three-run homer, only for the ball to land just foul. Miller struck out Realmuto, maintaining the Giants' 8-4 lead.
Landen Roupp (1-1) had a solid outing, striking out eight batters while allowing four runs over five innings. Despite giving up three runs in the first inning, Roupp managed to bounce back, leading the Giants to their fourth win in five games.
Taijuan Walker (1-1) struggled to maintain the lead for the Phillies. Fitzgerald’s three-run homer off Walker put the Giants ahead, and Adames followed up with a solo shot, extending the lead to 6-3. Walker also faced a setback with a throwing error, resulting in a final line of six runs, four of which were earned, alongside five strikeouts in five innings.
Yastrzemski added to the Giants' tally with a two-run homer in the seventh and an RBI double in the ninth, further solidifying their lead. The Phillies had their chances, particularly in the fourth inning when they had runners on second and third with no outs, but Roupp managed to retire the next three batters without allowing a run. In the sixth, the Phillies squandered a leadoff double from Max Kepler, leaving him stranded at third.
In a surprising move, Phillies manager Rob Thomson benched Brandon Marsh, who has been struggling with an 0-for-26 slump. Johan Rojas stepped in but unfortunately struck out three times, including crucial moments during the fourth and sixth innings that halted potential rallies.
Looking ahead, the Giants are set to send RHP Justin Verlander (0-0, 6.92 ERA) to the mound in pursuit of his 263rd career win, while the Phillies will counter with LHP Jesús Luzardo (2-0, 1.50 ERA), hoping to turn their fortunes around in the next game.
