Phillies Lose Another In An Inconsistent Performance As Giants Explode for 10
Apr 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (49) hits a 3-run home run during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
I think when we looked at the schedule for the season, this 4 game home series against the San Francisco Giants, most would have penciled in 3 easy wins, especially after a week on the road in Atlanta and St. Louis, but tonight proved that nothing is a given in baseball, and in 2025 anything can happen.
Just to prove that, the Giants are starting the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball, and the Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most inconsistent teams in baseball. They looked like a championship caliber team against MLB’s darlings, the Dodgers, but lost 2 series in a row to a scuffling Atlanta team and an improving Cardinals team that is still trying to figure out who they are.
Which Phillies team would be coming back home?
Since the Phillies have started the year 5-1 at home, it felt like things were going to get exciting.
The 40,636 fans who came out to Citizens Bank Park didn’t have to wait long to get excited. After Giants shortstop Willy Adames singled, Phillies starter Taijuan Walker picked off Adames to get the fans into the game early.
In the Phillies’ half of the first, it looked like the Phils would dominate with a statement first inning, but they got to Giants rookie starter Landen Roupp early. Roupp was having trouble locating the strike zone, and Bryson Stott took full advantage, with a solid single to lead off the bottom of the first for the Phillies, then Trea Turner hit a long double, scoring Stott and electrifying the home crowd.
Bryce Harper came out and was handed a baby blue bat by Turner, as a gender reveal, and maybe that was more on his mind than the slow curveball that he swung through that was way below the zone. Harper has failed to cover the lower zone with breaking pitches, and Roupp must have gotten that memo because every pitch Harper saw was an off-speed pitch low. After a Kyle Schwarber walk and the Phillies’ only truly consistent hitter this season, Nick Castellanos made him pay with a single scoring Turner. Max Kepler came up and grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Schwarber and ending the first with a 3-0 lead.
The happiness was short-lived because Heliot Ramos hit a one-out double, LaMonte Wade Jr. walked, and Wilmer Flores, who seems to always hit well in Philly, singled, scoring Ramos. Then the Phillies’ defense once again let down the pitcher, but this time, it was a self-inflicted wound. Patrick Bailey hit a high chopper to Walker, who rushed his throw into second, throwing the ball wide right and into shallow center, turning an inning-ending double play into an error, scoring Wade Jr. and keeping the inning going for Tyler Fitzgerald. On the second pitch, which was a lazy cutter at the top of the zone, Fitzgerald deposited the ball into the 3rd row of section 143.
Adames added his first homer in a Giants uniform, giving them a 6-3 lead. This score held as both pitchers settled into a groove until the bottom of the fifth inning when Roupp left a flat curveball inside and Castellanos crushed it, and from the moment he hit it, there was no doubt it was gone, bringing the Phillies back to only 2 runs down. Which is as close as they would get.
In the top of the 7th, Fitzgerald tripled, then Mike Yastrzemski hit a long home run, making the game 8-4. In the bottom of the 7th, the Phils got a rally started against Erik Miller, the Giants’ only lefty out of the pen, and with 2 runners on, J.T. Realmuto hooked a ball long and foul by less than 4 feet.
They added 2 more runs in the 8th and 9th, and then Camilo Doval came in to slam the door in the 9th.
I am interested to see what the umpire’s scorecard is for tonight’s game, because the strike zone was so inconsistent, punctuated by a terrible strike three call from Miller to Realmuto, ending the 7th and a potential rally for the Phils.
Final Thoughts
In the game, Giants’ starter Roupp had 20 swinging strikes, which is an unacceptable trend. This started in Atlanta, and it appears that this followed them home. Last year, the Giants came to town and got swept, scoring 11 over the 4 games — tonight they dropped 10 on the Phils.
Coming into tonight, the Phillies were 3-30 in the last 4 games with runners in scoring position, and tonight was no better; they were 1-11. Conversely, the Giants were 5-9 with runners in scoring position. The Phillies also seem to be channeling their inner Pedro Cerrano by not being able to hit breaking pitches well. Roupp wasn’t sharp tonight, and the Phillies couldn’t capitalize on that. If I were Kevin Long, I’d be either looking for a Jobu statue or updating my resume.
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Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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