Phillies Move Into First Place With Four-Game Sweep Of Giants

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Backed by 12 strikeouts from Vince Velasquez and another home run from Carlos Santana, the Phillies completed their four game sweep of the San Francisco Giants to move into a tie for first place in the National League East.

The Giants threatened early with a leadoff home run from Gregor Blanco on the second pitch of the game, and another quick two runs to put them up, 3-0. However, Velasquez was about as good as he's ever been from there on out, striking out eleven of the final 18 batters he faced with a fastball in the mid to high 90s and a sharply dropping curveball. Although he has remained inconsistent throughout the year, Thursday marked the fifth exceptional performance for Velaquez out of his eight starts, as he reached the sixth inning for the first time and threw a season high 101 pitches.

The win brings the Phillies to 22-15 and a tie with the Atlanta Braves for first place. With a Braves loss in San Diego later tonight, the Phillies could move into sole possession of first place.

Santana's three run home run was his sixth of year and third in the series with the Giants. He finished the four-game set 6 for 18 with a mammoth 13 RBIs, as manager Gabe Kapler has continued to hit him in the middle of the order. He was also stellar defensively, making a diving stop on a sharply hit ball in the eight inning and then sliding feet first into the uncovered first base bag to the get the out.

Odubel Herrera, meanwhile, continued his MLB-leading on-base streak, extending it to 39 games with a 3 for 4 performance. His .353 batting average is now the best in all of baseball heading into Thursday night's games, just ahead of Boston's J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts (.351 and .347, respectively).

The Phillies will have a chance to gain more separation on their division rivals when the New York Mets come into town for three games on Friday night. The foundering Mets have looked lost since their hot 11-1 start, and have gone 9-16 since then to drop into fourth place. Jake Arrieta will take the mound against Steven Matz at 7:05 p.m.

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