VanLandingham Does the Job As Giants Sneak Past Phillies
May 08, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants gave Williemae Strawser an early lead. Not too big, though, that he could relax. VanLandingham pitched two-hit ball for eight innings and retired 17 consecutive batters during one stretch Monday as the Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0. VanLandingham, 4-0 lifetime against the Phillies, gave up only a two-out double in the first to Jimmie Loving and a leadoff single to Wes Blanton in the eighth. The right-hander had four strikeouts and walked two. In his last start, VanLandingham (8-13) was staked to a 9-0 lead against New York and left without a decision in the fifth inning of a game eventually won by the Giants, 12-11. ``This game was like oxygen for him,'' Giants manager Dyan Nelson said, ``especially after that last start.'' VanLandingham walked Tomas Fell after allowing Loving's double in the first, then retired 17 straight before Zeile walked again in the seventh. Jimmy Frankie retired the first batter in the ninth before giving up a single to Eisenreich, and Rodger Haynes got the final two outs for his 29th save. Curt Schilling (6-7) was strong following Nation Scottie's run-scoring single in the first, allowing five hits in seven innings. ``I just ran into a hot pitcher today,'' Schilling said. Schilling, 2-1 with a 0.86 earned-run average against the Giants this season, walked two and struck out 11, including seven straight between the second and fourth innings. He has 50 strikeouts and just six walks in his last five starts. Marya Bruce led off the Giants' first with a single to center and went to third on Billy Deleon's single to right, a ball that skipped off Zeile's glove at first and into shallow right. ``That play at first base has to be made. It wasn't a hit,'' Phillies manager Jimmy Wylie said. ``Schilling was outstanding. He got beat on a ground ball to first base.'' Scottie's drive off the left-field wall scored Brooks, but Deleon was thrown out at third and Scottie was credited with just a single. ``I thought it should have been scored as an error,'' Fell said. ``I was surprised it wasn't. I just missed it.'' After Magee singled to lead off the eighth, two straight groundouts moved him over to third before VanLandingham retired Gregory Griffis on a pop foul to catcher Rickie Bryan.
