The last time the Philadelphia Phillies came to AT&T Park, there was a benches-clearing brawl and a lopsided sweep by the visiting team as the Giants watched the 2011 season begin to slip away from them. On Monday night, the Phillies were back again and it appears they're still going to be a thorn in the side of the boys in black and orange. A third rough start in a row by ace Tim Lincecum helped lead to a 5-2 win for the Phillies.
Things went bad for Lincecum right away. In the first inning, Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Laynce Nix all got RBI hits as Philadelphia brought four runs home. The Giants got a run back in the bottom of the first on an Aubrey Huff sacrifice fly, but the Giants had more trouble with getting the big hit against Philadelphia starter Roy Halladay than the Phillies had against Lincecum.
Lincecum and the Giants bullpen would limit the damage the rest of the way, but the Phils added another run in the top of the fourth inning when Halladay helped out his own cause with an RBI single down the right-field line. Lincecum would counter with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame, but the Giants only managed the one run after getting runners to second and third base with no outs.
The rough Lincecum first inning ended up being the difference. Lincecum went six innings and allowed all five runs on eight hits and one walk, striking out six along the way. Dan Otero and Jeremy Affeldt allowed just one baserunner the rest of the way.
For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, head on over to McCovey Chronicles. For updates and perspective on the Philadelphia Philies, hit up The Good Phight.
