Vince Velasquez, with his hands on his knees, bent over in despair Thursday afternoon as yet another home run sailed over him. The pitcher allowed two homers before recording the first out of the second inning. A brutal afternoon seemed guaranteed.
But then Velasquez stood. He grabbed the ball from Jorge Alfaro, swiped his cleat through the dirt and reset himself. The righthander struck out 10 of the next 12 batters he faced as the Phillies completed a four-game sweep with a 6-3 win over the Giants at Citizens Bank Park.
The win gives the Phillies a tie of first place, at least until the Braves and Marlins play Thursday night.