SAN FRANCISCO -- In the first half of the season, bad defense and bad luck kept Alex Cobb's numbers from matching the way he was throwing. That has changed in recent weeks, and on Friday night Cobb put it all together for his best start as a Giant.
The right-hander allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings, and unlike in a lot of his starts, run support was never an issue. The Giants scored 11 times in the first three innings and blew out the Phillies 13-1, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
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Cobb struck out seven and walked one against one of the more dangerous lineups in the league, continuing a very strong second half. He lowered his ERA down to 3.58 and his FIP to 2.85, which ranks ninth in the Majors. He could have chased a shutout, but there was no need to push him given the score.
The lineup was patient and opportunistic, reaching double digits for the first time since the All-Star break. The big blow was Joc Pederson's three-run blast that made it 7-0, which was plenty given how sharp Cobb was.
The Giants got their first win since August 23 and improved to 62-68. Here are three more things to know about a night that went off the rails early:
Joc Splash
After hitting just one homer in his previous 42 games coming into the week, Pederson has found his power stroke on this homestand. Pederson homered twice in the Padres series and blew Friday's game open with a no-doubter into McCovey Cove in the second inning.
The Splash Hit was the 97th all-time by a Giant and the fifth by Pederson. He has three this season including two in the last three games.
The New Guys
San Francisco Giants
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Andrew Knapp and Lewis Brinson made their Giants debuts against a familiar opponent. Knapp was drafted by the Phillies in 2013 and spent five seasons with their big league club; all of Brinson's previous MLB games came with the NL East-rival Miami Marlins. The first night in orange and black was enjoyable for both.
Knapp started behind the plate and had a good night offensively. He walked in two of his first three plate appearances and drove in a run with a sac fly in the other. In the sixth, Knapp drove a ball to left-center but it was caught on the track. In the eighth, he drove in the 13th run with a groundout.
Brinson pinch-hit for Pederson in the fifth inning and reached when his flare to center dropped just out of the reach of center fielder Brandon Marsh. The second time up, he flied out to center.
Walk This Way
Phillies right-hander Kyle Gibson had no command, and the Giants were all too happy to take advantage. They drew a season-high 10 walks, including three that drove in runs. Gibson walked four of the 14 batters he faced before handing the ball to former Giants reliever Sam Coonrod, who walked a pair. The wildness peaked in the third.
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Left-hander Christopher Sanchez took over and walked Wilmer Flores, Pederson and Evan Longoria with the bases loaded, giving the Giants their second four-run rally in three innings. Sanchez ended up throwing 75 pitches out of the bullpen.