What We Learned When Phillies Defeated Giants in Black in MLB Opening originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
One pitch, one out.
That’s all Giants rookie right-hander Mason Black needed in the first batter he faced, Kyle Schwarber, in his MLB debut Monday against his hometown Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Black then attacked JT Realmuto and Bryce Harper closed out the first inning, and got Alec Bohm — who started the day leading MLB in batting average at .360 — to pop out to first base in foul territory to start the second.
Through the first four innings, Black allowed just one earned run on three hits and four strikeouts. One bad inning was all the difference in the Giants’ 6-1 defeat to complete an ugly sweep.
The Phillies found Black in the fifth inning, scoring four runs against him in the frame. Black’s final line was 4 1/3 innings pitched, five earned runs, eight hits, four strikeouts and one walk.
Meanwhile, the Giants gave Black no support as Zack Wheeler had them spinning left and right. The giants scored more than three races on Sunday for the first time in 18 games, all scoring once on Monday.
Here are three takeaways from the Giants’ fourth straight loss to start their 10-game road trip 1-6.
Black’s MLB debut
The Scranton native wrote the perfect script for the start of his major league debut in front of friends and family, establishing a handful of stars. Black needed just 12 pitches for his 1-2-3 first inning, retired his first five batters and eight of the first nine Phillies who reached base against him.
He faced his first adversity in the bottom of the third inning and got Harper to fly out on the first pitch after Black’s first meeting on the mound. But it started leaking in the room.
Black for the second inning in a row forced out the first two hitters before walking the third. This time, he also struck out the fourth batter of the inning, and Whit Merrifield walked with an RBI grounder to left field. The fifth inning is when the wheels fall off.
Scwharber and Realmuto led off with two consecutive singles, bringing Harper to the plate with two on and no outs. Harper – on the first pitch he saw this time – hit a 381-foot, three-run homer to left-center field to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead.
Black in the fifth inning allowed five earned runs on two singles, two doubles and a home run, recording just one out.
Chapman’s struggles continue
Matt Chapman has appeared in all 36 Giants games this season. The former MLB All-Star may soon need a break.
There’s no denying that Wheeler is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, if not O better now. Many players on contracts big and small are fighting against the Philadelphia ace. Chapman was one of them on Monday in a major way – continuing a worrying trend.
Chapman faced Wheeler three times. Wheeler hit him with three strikes.
Wheeler was no exception to Chapman either. As the Giants head to Colorado, Chapman will do so without a hit against the Phillies in a four-game series. He went 1-for-15 and recorded eight strikeouts.
The Wade and Wilmer Show
How do you find a silver lining in this loss? At least LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores decided to show up.
Wade and Flores reached base a combined six times against Wheeler. They were 3-for-5, and Wheeler didn’t have a strikeout against either of them. Wade went 2-for-3 and Flores 1-for-2, doubling Wheeler for the Giants’ only extra-base hit, and his sacrifice fly in the sixth inning came immediately after Wade’s single on a line drive to right field.
Then there was everyone. The rest of the Giants lineup went 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts facing Wheeler. On the day, the Giants’ 6-9 hitters combined to go 0-for-13 with 10 strikeouts.
This offense is in dire need of a three-game trip to Coors Field.
