Category: Sports News

Giants' Patrick Bailey soaks in historic inside-the-park walk-off home run originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Even after making history by doing something that hadn’t been done in the major leagues in nearly a century, Patrick Bailey would have been perfectly fine had it not gone down the way it did.

The Giants’ 6-foot, 225-pound catcher was taxed and breathing heavy as he rounded the bases at Oracle Park in the ninth inning Friday night, admittedly tired after capping an amazing walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies with a dramatic and altogether mesmerizing inside-the-park home run that won it.

“I wish it would have gone over the fence,” Bailey told reporters inside the Giants clubhouse following the fifth walk-off hit of his career.

Bailey was probably only half-joking when he said that.

The end result – the Giants rallying to win at Oracle Park, extending their streak to four straight and six of seven – was exactly what the team needed to build more confidence heading into this weekend’s critical showdown with the National League West-leading Dodgers coming to town.

Doing it the way Bailey did, though, was wild.

Remember, Oracle Park had already been stage for one of the wackiest plays of the 2025 season in late April when Heliot Ramos – along with some help from some horrendous defense by the Texas Rangers – turned an infield single into a Little League home run.

It was the closest thing to the Keystone Cops and was just as funny.

Bailey’s wasn’t as wild, but it was far from ordinary.

Phillies reliever Jordan Romano tried to sneak a 94 mph fastball past Bailey on the first pitch of the at-bat, but Bailey came out swinging and lined the ball high off the brick facade in right-center. The ball – hit with an exit velo of 103.4 mph — ricocheted back toward the field past Philadelphia center field Brandon Marsh, who was sprinting to make a play. Marsh had to reverse direction and didn’t grab the ball until it had rolled along the warning track into left-center.

All the time, Bailey was watching and running. 

At the very least, he thought to himself, he had to get a triple. When he saw third base coach Matt Williams waving him home, Bailey had one thought in mind: Don’t fall.

“I picked him up, but I kind of had a feeling I was going,” Bailey said. “I saw him waving and again I was like, ‘Just don’t fall over.’ “

To fully understand the magnitude of Bailey’s accomplishment, consider that he had hit only four triples in 289 games in the majors before doing the unthinkable Friday night.

Sprinkle in the fact that Bailey has been in a season-long funk at the plate. He had a .188 batting average entering Tuesday that was the second-lowest in the National League among batters who had at least 175 plate appearances.

Four days earlier, when the Giants played the Athletics in Sacramento, Bailey struck out four times in four at-bats, earning the dubious Golden Sombrero.

He grounded into a double play during his first at-bat Wednesday, singled in the fifth then struck out swinging to end the seventh.

Then magic – and history – happened.

Bailey became just the third catcher in MLB history to hit a walk-off inside-the-park home run. The other two times it occurred were in 1926 and 1907.

It is also the first time in nearly nine years that a player has hit an inside-the-park home run in the majors. Cleveland’s Tyler Naquin was the last to do it on Aug. 19, 2016.

The last Giants player to do it was Angel Pagan on May 25, 2013, against the Colorado Rockies.

Melvin compared Bailey’s home run to the inside-the-park home run hit by Ichiro Suzuki in the 2007 All-Star game at the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.

“He has gotten some big hits this year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “In big situations, he’s come through. Not as much as he would like. Hopefully, that’s something that catapults him. Haven’t seen him drive a ball like that in a while.”

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On a hot, humid night in Baltimore, the stage was set for a letdown game for the Mets.

Going against a 40-49 Orioles team, Baltimore's young starter Brandon Young held down New York's offense for five innings before the lineup woke up to take a 2-1 lead. But then the Orioles got to Clay Holmes, scoring four runs in the sixth and tacking on another run against the bullpen in the seventh.

Down 6-2 with just six outs to go, it looked as if the Mets were bound to start their road trip, and the last few games before the All-Star break, with a loss. But the Mets' top four hitters would not accept it and put together a rally that ultimately helped New York take the series opener, 7-6, in extra innings.

Brandon Nimmo led off the eighth with a single, then Francisco Lindor launched his 18th homer of the season to cut the Orioles' lead to 6-4. Juan Soto singled to set up Pete Alonso, who mirrored Lindor with a two-run shot of his own to tie the game at 6-6, all before Baltimore could record an out. It was a brand new ballgame.

"Offensively, on a night where the first four-five innings we were pretty quiet, I thought we made some good adjustments and the bats got better," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "Hell of a win there."

Those in the locker room after the win pointed to Nimmo's at-bat to lead off the eighth as a catalyst. Nimmo battled, forcing a seven-pitch at-bat while fouling off three straight pitches before singling up the middle. Seeing so many pitches from the on-deck circle allowed Lindor to get a better idea of what to expect when it was his turn.

"He gave me an opportunity to see every pitch. I knew what the pitcher was doing," Lindor said of Nimmo's at-bat. "I told him, ‘you set that up.’ That’s a very professional at-bat, he did a fantastic job all day. Giving us information on what the ball is doing. Hats off to him."

Mendoza said that the approach from Nimmo is something he's seen for the past month or so because his outfielder has been "locked in." It's a big reason why when the Mets were struggling to score, the Mets skipper switched up the lineup to allow Nimmo to lead off against right-handers to allow Lindor and the others behind him to scout pitchers in real time.

Since then, including Tuesday's win, the Mets are 4-1. And while the lineup swap has helped, the team continues to believe in each other through the ups and downs of a long season and that has helped them build confidence and made them resilient.

"We believe in the lineup we have," Soto said after the game. "There’s no panic, we just roll in with what we have. And we compete out there. It’s not going to be easy wins, we gotta get it. We have to go out there and win it."

"Giving us information of what the ball is doing, so hats off to him"

Francisco Lindor gave props to Brandon Nimmo's 7-pitch at-bat in the 8th inning to set the tone for his home run pic.twitter.com/gQVO9hWf6W

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 9, 2025

Soto capped off the Mets' biggest comeback of the season with his game-winning single in the 10th inning to lead off, but it was a team effort. Aside from the Mets' big four, the bullpen in relief of Holmes kept the Orioles from building too big of a lead, Luis Torrens' defense continues to eliminate runners on the basepaths and even a bunt from Travis Jankowski gave the Mets a chance to do major damage.

"When you get an opportunity, when you’re down to pick each other up," Lindor said. "The offense did a good job today, but the pitching staff did a fantastic job....the guys contributed. Even Jankowski, even though we didn't score, coming in and bunting, it gives a boost in the dugout to continue to play for each other."

In total, the Mets had seven runs on 11 hits. The top four in the lineup accounted for six runs and eight of those hits. And while the team, as a whole, contributed enough to win, it was Nimmo, Lindor, Soto and Alonso who made Tuesday night's game truly special.

"We’ve seen it throughout the year. They got the ability to hit the ball out of the park at any time against anybody," Mendoza said. "It’s not easy to get through those four, five, six [hitters] when everybody’s clicking, it’s not an easy lineup to navigate. But it was special to see today."

The Mets bats were held scoreless for five innings and found themselves down four runs in the eighth inning to the Baltimore Orioles, but turned it around for a 7-6 win in 10 innings.

Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso both came through in the clutch with two-run home runs in the top of the eighth against Bryan Baker to tie the game at 6-6.

Edwin Diaz threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to force extra innings and the Mets kept the hot hitting going. Juan Soto singled up the middle on the first pitch he saw to drive in Lindor in the tenth inning to take the lead. New York loaded the bases, but couldn't get another run across the plate.

Huascar Brazobán closed the door with a 1-2-3 10th inning to complete the team's biggest comeback win of the season.

Here are the takeaways...

-- After a roughly 45-minute weather delay, Clay Holmes tossed an unconventional 1-2-3 first inning with a strikeout double-play to end it, getting Gunnar Henderson swinging and Luis Torrens caught Jordan Westburg (single) stealing second base. He tossed a quick second inning, but walked Cedric Mullins with one away in the third and he came around to score from second on Jackson Holliday's two-out base knock up the middle to give the O's a 1-0 lead.

Coming into the day, opponents were 7-for-63 (.111 batting average) against Holmes with runners in scoring position, the broadcast noted. Holmes struck out Westburg for the third out of the inning. He got two more groundouts for a 1-2-3 fourth inning, bringing his total to six groundouts on the night.

-- Meanwhile, Orioles starter Brandon Young (making just his fifth career start) retired the first eight Mets batters he faced before Brett Baty singled in the top of the third inning. Young then got Brandon Nimmo to fly out to shallow right field to end the top half of the inning.

-- Soto ripped a one-out single to right field in the top of the fourth inning but Alonso grounded into the 4-6-3 double play to end any potential scoring chance. The New York bats continued to struggle against Young, who tossed an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) to get through the fifth for the first time in his big league career. It's the 119th immaculate inning in MLB history and just the fifth ever against the Mets.

That somehow helped NY turn it around as Ronny Mauricio hit a leadoff homer off Young to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning. Baty and Nimmo then hit back-to-back doubles to take a 2-1 lead, eventually ending Young's day.

-- Torrens nearly pulled off another strikeout double-play in the fifth inning, but Mullins swam by Baty's tag to avoid the out. Holmes then got his seventh groundout of the game to keep it a 1-0 game. The right-hander stayed in to pitch the sixth and hit Holliday on the leg with an 0-2 slider for a leadoff baserunner. He then let up two straight singles to load the bases and Ryan O'Hearn put Baltimore ahead, 4-2, on a double down the right-field line. Holmes gave up his fourth straight hit as Ramón Laureano singled to make it 5-2 and end his night on the mound.

Holmes' final line: five runs on seven hits over 87 pitches (58 strikes) and five-plus innings of work. He struck out five, forced eight groundouts, and walked one.

-- Richard Lovelady got two outs in relief of Holmes, but exited with runners on the corners. Alex Carrillo made his MLB debut and threw one 99-mph pitch for a strike as Torrens pumped fake the throw to second and caught Laureano retreating back to third base to end the inning. Carrillo let up a solo home run to Holliday with one out in the seventh inning on a fastball down the middle, giving the Orioles a 6-2 lead. The right-hander got his first career strikeout against Westburg and then a groundout to first base for the third out.

-- Defensively, Mauricio helped the game stay tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth by getting the force at third base and making a bullet throw to Alonso, who kept his foot on the base (call confirmed after Orioles challenged) for the inning-ending double play. Reed Garrett allowed one hit and one walk over one inning of work.

Game MVP: Ronny Mauricio

Despite the heroics from Lindor, Alonso, and Soto, it was Mauricio who sparked the offense with a solo homer and made a clutch double play in the eighth inning.

Soto a close second with three hits, including his 10th-inning, clutch single to give the Mets a lead.

Highlights

Luis Torrens and Francisco Lindor execute another perfect strike him out-throw him out double play! pic.twitter.com/MivuCW3stM

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 8, 2025

Ronny Mauricio goes deep to tie the game at 1-1! pic.twitter.com/bwHllcE9Tf

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

Brandon Nimmo with the Mets' 3rd consecutive extra-base hit of the inning and they take the lead! pic.twitter.com/Gv0VwU8HvW

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

One pitch for Alex Carillo and he gets his first MLB out courtesy of a pickoff by Luis Torrens pic.twitter.com/pzs3PlJRG7

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

Francisco Lindor drives a 2-run homer to center to cut it to 6-4 pic.twitter.com/BxNUOWKKzC

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

PETE ALONSO'S TURN!

THIS GAME IS TIED! pic.twitter.com/cWQF8QuShe

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

Ronny Mauricio and Pete Alonso team up for the double play! pic.twitter.com/svLTg8SDYp

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

Juan Soto is first-pitch swinging in the 10th to drive in Francisco Lindor for the 7-6 lead! pic.twitter.com/m48s310ueM

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

The Mets complete the comeback win as Huascar Brazobán locks down the save! pic.twitter.com/PLqHlYPzXU

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2025

What's next

The Mets continue their three-game series with the Orioles at Camden Yards on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN.

David Peterson (6-4, 3.18 ERA) is scheduled to start for New York, while Tomoyuki Sugano (6-5, 4.44 ERA) will take the mound for Baltimore.

The game plan, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday afternoon, was simple.

As the Dodgers prepared to face Milwaukee Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski, a hard-throwing and supremely talented right-hander making just his fifth MLB start, the club’s manager repeated one key multiple times during his pregame address with reporters:

“Stress him as much as we can.”

Given Misiorowski’s inexperience, the idea was to work long at-bats, drive up his pitch count and “be mindful of [making] quick outs,” Roberts said.

“If he's got to keep repeating pitches, there might be a way for some base hits, some walks,” he added. “Again, create stress, and hopefully get a couple big hits.”

A big hit came early, with Shohei Ohtani leading off the game with his 31st home run of the season. But after that, the only stress evident at American Family Field on Tuesday came from the Dodgers’ lineup, which struck out 12 times against Misiorowski during a 3-1 loss to the Brewers. It was the Dodgers' fifth loss in a row.

The Ks came quickly following Ohtani’s early blast (his ninth leadoff home run of the season, and one that set a Dodgers record for total home runs before the All-Star break).

Mookie Betts fanned on a slider in the next at-bat. Freddie Freeman whiffed on a curveball after him. Andy Pages froze on a 100.8 mph fastball, one of 21 triple-digit pitches Misiorowski uncorked from his wiry 6-foot-7, 197-pound frame.

Read more:Dodgers can't overcome Yoshinobu Yamamoto's horrific first inning, fall to Brewers

Misiorowski struck out three more batters in the second to strand a two-out Dalton Rushing single. He worked around Miguel Rojas’ leadoff double in the third with two more punch-outs, getting Ohtani with a curveball this time and Freeman with the same pitch after a generous strike call got the count full.

From there, the Dodgers didn’t stress Misiorowski again until the sixth, when Ohtani drew a leadoff walk and Betts slapped a single through the infield. With one out, however, Ohtani was thrown out at the plate trying to score from third on Pages’ chopper up the line. Then Michael Conforto grounded out to first to retire the side, sending Misiorowski skipping back to the dugout with a few thumps of his chest at the end of a six-inning, one-run start that saw all 12 strikeouts come in the first five frames (tying the most strikeouts by any MLB pitcher in the first five innings of a game since 2008).

Opposite Misiorowski, Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw produced a solid six-inning, two-run start in a vastly different way. With his fastball still topping out at 90 mph, and the 37-year-old managing only three strikeouts in his first start since joining the 3,000 club last week, Kershaw instead navigated the Brewers with a string of soft contact.

The only problem: The Brewers still found a way to build a rally in the bottom of the fourth.

Read more:'Really impressed.' Shohei Ohtani's return to two-way role going (mostly) well a month in

After singling on a swinging bunt up the third base line his first time up, Milwaukee catcher William Contreras did the same thing to lead off the inning. Then Jackson Chourio beat the shift on a ground ball the other way.

That set up Andrew Vaughn for a line-drive single to center, tying the score. In the next at-bat, Isaac Collins also found a hole in the infield, sneaking another ground-ball single between Betts and Rojas on the left side of the infield to give Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.

Even after Misiorowski departed, a shorthanded Dodgers lineup (which was once again without injured veterans Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman, as well as primary catcher Will Smith on a scheduled off day) couldn’t claw its way back.

The Brewers' bullpen retired all nine batters it faced. Sal Frelick took Kirby Yates deep for an insurance run in the eighth. And on a day the Dodgers intended to create stress, they were instead dealing with the headache of a season-long five-game losing streak.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees blasted three home runs to beat the Mariners 10-3 on Tuesday night in the Bronx.

The Yankees and Mariners were held without runs into the fifth inning before a 35-minute rain delay turned the game around, scoring nine runs in the final two innings, highlighted by a three-run Giancarlo Stanton homer.

Here are the takeaways...

-Will Warren came into Tuesday's game with a 7.50 ERA in the first inning but came out of the opening frame unscathed. The young right-hander matched Seattle starter Logan Gilbert, who was pitching a perfect game through 3.2 innings before Cody Bellinger's single broke it up.

Fans were treated to a pitcher's duel into the fifth inning when the Mariners threatened to push across the game's first run. With runners on the corners with two outs, and a 2-1 count, the tarp was called and the game was put in a rain delay. There was about a 30-minute delay, and Warren went back out there to finish the fifth, throwing just one pitch.

The delay seemed to affect Gilbert who allowed two runners for the first time all game in the fifth. Anthony Volpe came up with runners on first and second and one out. The Yankees shortstop grounded into a fielder's choice setting up Oswald Peraza who hit a soft hopper to the right of second baseman Cole Young, who bobbled it and allowed Peraza to reach safely and drive in the game's first run.

-Warren would pitch into the sixth but would lose his control. A one-out walk to Cal Raleigh and a two-out walk to Jorge Polanco forced Aaron Boone to bring in Tim Hill to get the final out of the inning.

Warren had a great bounce-back outing from his disaster in Toronto, pitching 5.2 shutout innings (85 pitches/56 strikes) while allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four batters.

-With the Yankees hanging on to a 1-0 lead, Aaron Judge and Bellinger started the sixth inning with back-to-back singles.Stanton then gave the team some insurance with a three-run shot that went 401 feet over the right field wall. It's Stanton's second homer of the season and 10th RBI of the season.

His 431st homer tied Cal Ripken Jr. for 50th all-time.

After a one-out double from Paul Goldschmidt, Gilbert was pulled, but the Mariners could not keep the Yankees in the ballpark. Austin Wells drove the first pitch he saw way over the right field wall to give the Yanks a 6-0 lead. It's Wells' third straight game with a long ball. Judge launched a solo shot in the seventh to cut Raleigh's major league lead to just one -- until the Mariners catcher hit a two-run shot in the eighth off of Geoff Hartlieb.

-Jazz Chisholm Jr. started at second for the first time since April 29. He finished 1-for-3 with an RBI double, a walk and was a noticeable upgrade on defense over DJ LeMahieu.

Peraza did his thing at third base. He ran down a fly ball in shallow left field that Jasson Dominguez lost in the lights, and made a few strong throws to get runners out at first base.

One particular throw in the sixth that got Julio Rodriguez out was thrown at 90.4 mph, the fifth-fastest throw by a third baseman this season.

-Overall, the Yankees put up 10 runs on 13 hits on a Mariners team that shut out the Pirates in all three games over the weekend. Bellinger and Goldschmidt had three hits each, while Dominguez and Volpe were the only starters without a hit in this one.

Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton's three-run blast opened the floodgates for a Yankees blowout.

Highlights

Five scoreless for Will Warren! pic.twitter.com/Zc8tCzI4wF

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

Oswald Peraza with an RBI infield single! pic.twitter.com/vci72Asb23

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

BIG G.

A THREE-RUN BOMB FOR GIANCARLO STANTON 💣 pic.twitter.com/ayeRGtPlYp

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

AUSTIN WELLS LAUNCHES ONE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XI2x8pJNoZ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

ALL RISE.

34 HOME RUNS FOR AARON JUDGE 👨‍⚖️ pic.twitter.com/ixH3za2aYB

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr. rips an RBI double off the wall 🎷 pic.twitter.com/vWtPcOTvD1

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

It's a Paul Goldschmidt two-run single!

It's 10 runs for the Yankees! pic.twitter.com/Oedga3PXjs

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 9, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Mariners continue their three-game set on Wednesday evening. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

The Yankees will have prospect Cam Schlittler make his major league debut. Seattle has Logan Evans (3-2, 2.96 ERA) as the probable starter.

Phillies heartbreak: Romano falls on 3-run, inside-the-park walk-off HR originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

SAN FRANCISCO – On a night when the Phillies biggest slugger tried to use his legs to kickstart a struggling offense, the team saw a streak of going hitless with runners in scoring position finally snapped at 26.

Slugger Kyle Schwarber launched one into McCovey Cove, of course the game would end in dynamic fashion. Problem for the Phillies was, they weren’t the ones that provided the drama. 

Entering the bottom of the ninth with a 3-1 lead and reliever Jordan Romano needing to go into a second inning, the Phillies saw what would have been a very impressive win for various reasons become one of the more improbable losses in quite some time.

Romano gave up a double to Casey Schmitt to lead off the inning before coaxing Jung Hoo Lee into an infield pop out. But a Wilmer Flores single to center moved Schmitt to third.

Then nine-hole hitter Patrick Bailey hit Roman’s first pitch to the wall in right field where it took a crazy carom towards center, past Brandon Marsh. Before the Phillies could get the ball to the infield, Bailey crossed home plate for the first inside-the-park walk-off home run in the majors since 2016 for a 4-3 Giants win.

“It’s a little different (starting another inning) but I’ve done it a ton in the past,” said Romano, whose ERA is now 7.44. “It’s not that difficult to do. I just need to do a better job of it. It’s tough, not contributing to wins, losing games like that. It’s baseball, sometimes. Definitely been tested a lot this year, not pitching well. No time to sulk. Trying to figure this out, trying to get better. But right now it’s not really working.”

“I’m not sure I’ve seen that before, inside-the-park home run to win the game,” said manager Rob Thomson. “It’s a difficult loss.” That’s probably the understatement of the season, maybe for many seasons as the Phillies lost their fifth walk-off of the year and are now 2-12 at Oracle Park since 2021.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Apparently that’s the motto Kyle Scwharber lives by, or at least one that he subscribed to against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

While the main story surrounding the Phillies of late has been the dominance of their starters, the side story, and quickly becoming more and more prominent, is the team’s inability to hit with runners in scoring position.

They entered Tuesday 0 for their last 24 there, and saw it climb to 26 when, with Johan Rojas on third and Trea Turner on second after a double steal in the third with one out, Schwarber struck out and Bryce Harper grounded out to end an inning, but kept an ominous streak alive. 

A couple of innings later, Schwarber decided to try and kickstart the offense with something besides his bat – his legs. With him on first with one out in the sixth and Alec Bohm at the plate, Schwarber stole second. Either delirious with success or desperate to jumpstart his team, the speed-challenged Schwarber then tried to swipe third as Bohm took ball four. He didn’t quite make it. Schwarber got picked up though, as Nick Castellanos singled Bohm to second and Otto Kemp ended the RISP drought with a double to left to score Bohm and tie the game at 1-1. It was the next inning when Schwarber returned to form, in a huge way.

With two out and Brandon Marsh on second in the seventh, Schwarber smashed an 0-2 Spencer Bivens changeup into McCovey Cove. The trot around the bases seemed much more natural and the Phillies had a 3-1 lead. It was not to be, however.

“That ball just hit the perfect spot, cause there’s a little peak out there and it just hit it and really kicked hard,” said Schwarber of the game-winning hit. “That’s kind of an unusual carom here. It happened, it’s over. It doesn’t feel good. You just got to be able to keep moving on and worry about tomorrow.”

As for the baserunning? “I felt like he wasn’t paying much attention and I got kind of a walking lead and I just went. A good pitch was thrown, they made a heck of a throw and it was a good tag. I would have probably done that nine out of 10 times and probably going to be safe, but it was a bang-bang play. If you’re successful there then you get first and third it’s a good thing. But when you get thrown out you just feel like you want to melt into your chair.”

All of the questions recently asked to Thomson and Taijuan Walker after it was announced he’d rejoing the rotation:

What will his pitch count be?

How did he take the news?

Would you rather be a starter than a reliever?

What’s going to be the schedule for him moving forward?

All legitimate questions … and all answered to satisfaction by the two leading up to Walker’s first start since May 30th. One that wasn’t asked and probably not even thought of was this:

What if Walker gets better as the game progresses?

Funny, oddly, that’s sort of what happened.

Walker said on Monday that he thought he’d be able to throw “60ish” pitches, and after he was up to 40 through just two innings, and with a 1-0 deficit, all seemed about normal for the expectations on the hulkish pitcher. But Phillies starters have exceeded expectations all season long, and Walker wasn’t about to be outdone simply because he’s a part-timer now at this starting stuff.

He got through two more innings on just 23 more pitches. He got the Giants in order in the fourth, his final pitch a strikeout of Rafael Devers on an 85 mile-an-hour slider.

“That second inning could have gotten away from me but we limited it to one run and got the doubleplay,” said Walker. “The next two innings were shut down innings. I thought the last two innings were really good.”

Was there thought for maybe one more inning? “Maybe if it was a different scenario,” Walker said. “But we’re half way through the season now. You’ve got to be smart. I’ve been bouncing back and forth, starting and relieving, so we have to be smart about it.”

Tanner Banks, Max Lazar, Matt Strahm and Daniel Robert combined to throw 3.1 scoreless innings and Romano came into the eighth to get two outs on five pitches. But it was the ninth that did him and the team in.

“We got kind of caught back in the corner because we didn’t have (Orion) Kerkering,” said Thomson. “So Strahm pitched the seventh against all those lefties and I wanted to use Romano in the ninth because of the intensity of the whole situation. We liked Robert’s slider on that group (to start the eighth). Once he got through his three hitters I felt like it was time to get rid of that inning. Romano came in and did a great job. I felt like he could probably finish it out.”

He couldn’t and now the Phillies are 0-2 on this six-game West Coast swing that has them playing Wednesday afternoon against the Giants before heading to San Diego for a three-game series against the Padres.