A return to their home ballpark was just what the Phillies needed as they mercifully ended the season-worst eight-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Two-run homers from Carlos Ruiz and Michael Young along with a solid pitching outing from John Lannan helped the Phillies snap the skid and win their first game since July 19.
With the victory, the Phillies improved to 50-56 and remain 11½ games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
Starting pitching report
Lannan ended on an up note after struggling in his last outing in St. Louis last week. In seven innings, the lefty allowed three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Lannan struck out two hitters and produced 11 ground-ball outs.
The win sets Lannan’s record at 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA.
Giants lefty Barry Zito struggled with his command throughout his 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and a pair of walks. Zito also allowed a homer and hit Kevin Frandsen on an 0-2 pitch.
Zito’s ERA on the road this season is 9.97.
Bullpen report
Lefty Antonio Bastardo faced four hitters in a scoreless eighth inning before turning the game over to Justin De Fratus in the ninth.
De Fratus faced four hitters in the ninth to close it out in a non-save situation.
At the plate
Ruiz hit his first home run of the season. His last homer came on Sept. 25 of last season when he hit a three-run shot in a win over the Nationals. Michael Young belted his eighth homer of the season.
Ruiz’s homer was the first for a Phillie since July 20.
Michael Young went 2 for 3 with a walk to boost his batting average to .280. Delmon Young also had a pair of hits to go with an RBI, and John Mayberry Jr. also picked up a pair of RBIs with a single in the first inning and a double in the seventh.
The Giants scored a run in the first, added one to tie the game in the third and scored again in the seventh. First baseman Brett Pill picked up a pair of hits and Pablo Sandoval had two of the Giants’ RBIs.
Put him in the book
Prospect Cody Asche made his major-league debut with a pinch-hitting appearance with two outs in the seventh inning. Asche, who was called up from Triple A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday (see story), popped out to second base on a 2-0 pitch.
Stuck at home
For the first time this season, Darin Ruf failed to reach base safely. He had reached base in all 17 games he played this year and the final nine games of the 2012 season. In 30 career big-league games, Ruf has failed to reach base safely in just four games.
Up next
The Phillies and Giants return to action on Wednesday night when Kyle Kendrick (9-7, 3.96) takes on right-hander Chad Gaudin (4-2, 2.77). Kendrick is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in six career appearances against the Giants. He last faced them on May 7 when he scattered six hits and had six strikeouts without a walk in a 6-2 victory.
Gaudin has never started a game against the Phillies, but he has nine appearances in relief in his 11 years in the big leagues. In 13 1/3 innings, Gaudin has allowed three runs and 10 hits with 11 strikeouts against the Phillies.