It wasn't always pretty, but it was effective. The San Francisco Giants held on to beat the Phillies in 11 innings, winning their third straight grinding game. The offense continued to set the stage, but the big hit was once again hard to come by. Joc Pederson delivered a huge haymaker in the top of the 11th that essentially put this one away.

Except things once again got interesting in the bottom half of the inning. Bryce Harper came up representing the tying runs with two outs, and SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler elected to intentionally walk Harper to bring up Roman Quinn as the possible winning run. It was a daring move, one that actually might not have been the right decision. But in the end, the move paid off, as José Álvarez struck out Quinn to end the game. After the game, Kapler said catcher Joey Bart was strong in his conviction that the Giants should walk Harper, and Kapler ultimately made the move.

Last night's lineup was uninspiring to many fans, but it actually wasn't as bad as it looked when we consider some of the underrated performers against lefties, the injury to Austin Slater, and the fact that Darin Ruf was placed on the bereavement list prior to the game after losing his father unexpectedly. Heliot Ramos was called up to take Ruf's place, and he was in the lineup. Once left-handed starting pitcher Ranger Suarez came out of the game, Kapler was aggressive with using his strong lefty bench, going to Tommy La Stella, Mike Yastrzemski, Brandon Crawford, and Pederson for the second half of the game. Ultimately, it was a great time win and the Giants will go for the sweep this afternoon.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

Rock Auto

Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Did you know every week, nearly 40 million job seekers visit LinkedIn? Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONMLB.

Blue Nile

Make your moment sparkle with jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKED ON SPORTS listeners get $50 off purchases of $500 or more using code LOCKEDON.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Twitter Mentions