MLB Game Preview - San Francisco at Philadelphia

Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:05 PM EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies will be looking for their third consecutive victory when they host the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

The Phillies won the series finale against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday and now they'll be attempting to clinch a series win over the Giants.

Rhys Hoskins ripped his team-best 23rd home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win while Jean Segura added three hits. J.T. Realmuto had two hits and improved his average to .270. Realmuto also has three home runs in his last five games as both he and the club (7-3 in its last 10) seem to be heating up.

"I've hit the ball just as hard as I ever have," Realmuto told reporters. "I have some numbers to show I've been a little unlucky. Obviously, I feel like I can produce more at the plate -- maybe simplify my approach a little bit. I feel like it's coming around."

If the Phillies are to extend their winning streak, they'll need another strong outing from right-hander Vince Velasquez. In Velasquez's last start, he tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-0 win against the Detroit Tigers last Wednesday. Velasquez gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked two to get his third win.

Velasquez is 3-5 with a 4.46 earned run average, but has been very inconsistent all season locating his pitches.

"When he commands his fastball over the plate, no one hits," backup catcher Andrew Knapp said. "For the most part, he was throwing his heater by every single person in that (Tigers) lineup."

The Phillies got their 56th victory on Tuesday and remain in the hunt for a wild-card berth as the calendar is about to flip to August.

Despite Tuesday's loss, the Giants have still won 19 of their last 25 games to become one of the hottest teams in the National League.

Trailing 4-0 late on Tuesday, Brandon Belt and Stephen Vogt each laced pinch-hit home runs to keep the game close. Belt's homer snapped a maddening 0-for-17 skid.

"He's been playing the game a long time," Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters of Belt. "I don't see where he's changed his thinking or philosophy on hitting. If it was a young kid, maybe, but not with Brandon."

Even in their losses, the Giants continue to compete until the game is complete.

"This is over a longer period that we've been playing good ball," Bochy told reporters. "Really, it's been five or six weeks."

San Francisco's bullpen threw three scoreless innings on Tuesday. Its bullpen has been a major reason why the team has ripped off so many wins in the month of July.

"Man, this bullpen is unbelievable," infielder Pablo Sandoval said. "They're doing a great job. They never complain. They're doing everything well."

The Giants will hand the ball to Jeff Samardzija, who's 7-8 with a 3.95 ERA. Through five starts in July, Samardzija has been stellar, going 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA.

Last Friday, Samardzija earned a no-decision in a 2-1 win on the road against the San Diego Padres. He threw six strong innings and allowed four hits and one run while striking out six and walking three.

--Field Level Media