The rainstorm at Citizens Bank Park that postponed Wednesday’s game and caused a rain delay in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader turned out to be symbolic of the Giants’ current state.
Dark clouds hover over San Francisco after being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that entered the series with one of the worst records in baseball and had just fired its manager.
The Giants suffered a 7-0 shutout loss in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday. San Francisco looked mostly recharged after a full day off to bounce back after Wednesday’s game was pushed to Thursday, but Ryan Walker’s blown save led to a walkoff loss in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Just over two hours later, the Giants and Phillies returned to action for the series finale.
The Giants had to play with a sense of urgency, right? Set the tone from the beginning?
Well, not quite.
San Francisco starter Adrian Houser’s first pitch of the game resulted in a Trea Turner home run. One batter and four pitches later, Kyle Schwarber crushed a 446-foot bomb to right center.
And just like that, the Phillies had a 2-0 first-inning lead.
The Giants evened up the score in the top of the fifth inning, but that didn’t last long. Philadelphia retook a two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Those stubborn rain clouds returned to the ballpark in the middle of the top of the sixth, and a short rain delay ensued. It was enough for the Giants to recharge and refocus, and in no time, the back-and-forth swings continued.
Giants second baseman Luis Arraez singled to tie the game once again.
Nothing changed in the ninth, as each team scored a run to even the score at 5 apiece.
To extras the game went, and for the second consecutive game, the Phillies were victorious with a sacrifice-fly walk-off in the bottom of the 10th.
It is the first time since 1956 that the Giants have been walked off in both ends of a doubleheader.
San Francisco now enters a tough stretch ahead, closing out the road trip against the Tampa Bay Rays before returning home to face the red-hot San Diego Padres.
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