 in his second start for the Phillies.''I'm just trying to go a roll, keep hitters off balance and go with it,'' Smyly said.Smyly allowed a run in six innings in his first start for the Phillies and was just as sharp against the Giants. The 30-year-old Smyly, signed last week after he opted out of a minor league deal with Milwaukee, could be a needed boost to a pitching rotation in flux. Smyly scattered four hits, struck out five and was never in any serious trouble, helping to send the Giants to their seventh straight loss in Philadelphia.He should have stuck around at least another inning. Nick Pivetta continued to struggle in relief and allowed pinch-hit homers to Brandon Belt and Stephen Vogt in the eighth to make it 4-2.Hector Neris worked a scoreless ninth for his 19thth save.''It's just an off night for our bats,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.With Wednesday's trade deadline looming, the Phillies made a move this week to solidify their rotation for the stretch run when they acquired left-hander Jason Vargas from the New York Mets. The 36-year-old is 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA, winning his last three starts. Vargas is 98-95 with a 4.26 ERA in 266 starts and 21 relief appearances with five big league teams. He won 18 games for the Royals in 2017 and was part of their World Series championship team in 2015.The Phillies beat Atlanta 9-4 on Sunday, and they could look different after the deadline.''If we get help, we get help,'' Hoskins said. ''If we don't get help, we're still pretty confident that we feel pretty poised to go on a run. It just feels a little different after these couple of wins. It just seems like things are starting to click a little bit. Guys are starting to find their roles.'' Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said Vargas is likely to make his first start Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Vargas joins a rotation that desperately needs another arm behind Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jake Arrieta to make a serious playoff push.''It's a rotation that we're confident gives us a chance,'' Kapler said. ''I believe we'll be battling for a playoff spot till the end.'' They'll battle for now with struggling righty Zach Eflin in the bullpen. The Phillies cleared a spot for Vargas in the rotation by dumping Eflin, who allowed seven or more runs in three of his last four starts, and hope he can work out his problems in relief. Eflin joins fellow former starter Pivetta in the bullpen, and Vince Velasquez just made a return to the rotation after a brief stint as a reliever.''I still believe wholeheartedly that I'm a starter,'' Eflin said. ''But if that's what the team needs, then I'm going to be there for them. It's ultimately not my decision.'' The Phillies scored twice off Giants starter Tyler Beede (3-5) in the fourth inning and then chased him after with two more runs in the fifth. Beede walked Bryce Harper, and Hoskins followed with a shot to center for his 23rd homer of the year and a 4-0 lead.NEW GUYThe Phillies signed RHP Blake Parker to a major league contract and RHP Edgar Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. INF Mitch Walding was designated for assignment.TRAINER'S ROOMPhillies: It seems unlikely that RHP David Robertson will return this season from an elbow injury. Kapler said Robertson's rehab had progressed ''at a slower rate than we had hoped.'' UP NEXTThe Phillies send Velasquez (3-5, 4.46 ERA) to the mound against San Francisco RHP Jeff Samardzija (7-8, 3.95 ERA) on Wednesday.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Phillies, Giants look to move closer to wild-card spotFLMThe Philadelphia Phillies are just one game out in the National League wild-card race and the players are all in for making a postseason charge.The team made a move Monday, bolstering its rotation by trading for New York Mets left-hander Jason Vargas, as Wednesday's trade deadline looms.The Phillies -- who are 22-28 since May 29 -- get one last opportunity to show club brass they are worthy of remaining intact or adding more pieces when they host the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.Philadelphia was supposed to compete for the National League East title after opening up the checkbook and signing outfielder Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal in the offseason.But a 33-22 start proved to be a mirage, and Harper understands the quandary. He points out that a hot final two months can change everything."We've just got to get in," Harper told reporters after Sunday's 9-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. "That's it. That's all you've got to do. There are some wild-card teams that have won it. Some teams that have won the division have won it. So we just got to get in." Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said he feels his squad has just as good a chance as any of the other candidates."We all have to get a little bit better," Kapler told reporters after Sunday's game. "It's coaching staff, it's our hitters, it's our pitchers, our bullpen, everything across the board. We play our baseball, we play to our potential and we are a strong club."We're a game out of the playoffs right now. I think we're positioned well to make a run. I don't think the clubs that are battling for those positions are better than us. I think we have the capability with the talent in the room to be much better in the second half than we were in the first." San Francisco is surprisingly part of the wild-card race after struggling at 12 games below .500 as recently as June 29.But the Giants got hot to go along with incredible luck. San Francisco has won 19 of 24 games and is a stunning 7-0 in extra-inning games since the All-Star break.Sitting just 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot, multiple reports say the Giants plan to keep ace left-hander Madison Bumgarner instead of dealing him prior to the trade deadline.In other words, the team's recent stellar play has changed the situation.However, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said the strong play began more than 24 games ago."This is over a longer period that we've been playing good ball," Bochy told reporters. "Really, it's been five or six weeks." Right-hander Tyler Beede (3-4, 4.85 ERA) will be on the mound for the Giants in the series opener and looking to bounce back from last Wednesday's loss to the Chicago Cubs.Beede served up career worsts of three homers and 10 hits while allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Cubs. He struck out seven and walked one.Beede has never faced the Phillies.Left-hander Drew Smyly (1-5, 7.69) makes his second start since joining the Phillies and he fared well in his team debut.The 30-year-old gave up one run and four in six innings in a no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 21. Smyly struck out eight and walked two.Smyly has never faced the Giants, but he routinely retired outfielder Kevin Pillar (0-for-12) when both players were in the American League.--Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
San Francisco Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (7/30/2019)
LiveSportsTradingDude
