What a way to get things back on track. After a few bad weeks of tough losses, the Giants have now won their last four in a row, including this sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies who, you might recall, swept them in a four game series early in May. This series has really made the team look like a competent group of baseball players who know how to play baseball. That might seem like it’s barely a complement, but after watching the last few weeks of this team stumbling around on the field and allowing all of the runs, that is the highest of praise. Derek Rodríguez made the first major league start of his career and ended up getting the win. He was working with four pitches, including a mid-90s fastball and a gorgeous curveball that averaged in the high 70s. He went six innings, allowed one run on five hits, with two walks and struck out six. He had two battles with Odúbel Herrera that ended in swing and miss strike outs with his curveball. He then immediately walked Carlos Santana afterwards each time, but quickly induced a double play and a ground out to clean it up. The one run he allowed came from opposing pitcher Jake Arrieta on a home run that left everyone with flashbacks to the 2016 NLDS. But just like in that game (if not the series) the Giants came back to win. Rodriguez said Bumgarner came up to him after Arrieta homer. "Bum told me he gave one up to him too. That made me feel better." — Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 3, 2018 Arrieta came into the game having allowed only three runs in the month of May, and it showed for much of the game, where he allowed only three hits in five innings that were immediately followed by double plays. However, the Giants rallied for five runs in the sixth inning to end his day. Gorkys Hernández started things off with a single, after nearly getting hit in the head. Hunter Pence had been on deck, to much fanfare from those who spotted him, but he was pulled back after the single for Alen Hanson, who beat out a slow roller for an infield single (after coming back from a hamstring injury). Joe Panik singled in Hernández, then Buster Posey singled in Hanson, which set the table for Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen had faced Arrieta 65 times in his career and never hit a home run, the most he’d ever faced a pitcher without doing so. However, Arrieta had gotten complacent and served up a hanging 80 mph curveball to McCutchen who sent it packing just shy of the right field foul pole for a three-run home run to give the Giants a 5-1 lead. GIF: Dereck Rodriguez is excited he might get his first win pic.twitter.com/9sjg6u675T — Carmen Kiew (@carmenkiew) June 3, 2018 Rodríguez was done for the day after Hanson pinch hit for him, and Mark Melancon came in for the seventh inning to make his first appearance of the year. Melancon struck out the side, mixing up a 90 mph cutter and a curveball for the first and last, and throwing 90 mph fastballs to get the second. It was an incredibly promising start to his season, after many here at this website (who shall remain nameless) insisted he would never pitch in a major league game again. Will Smith got into a bit of trouble in the eighth inning, with a single and a walk, but got out of the jam with a fly out, strikeout and a pop up caught by Pablo Sandoval that was like the mirror image of the last out of the 2014 World Series. Hunter Pence finally did get a plate appearance in the bottom of the eighth, to even larger cheers from the crowd, and hit a fly ball that was caught in deep center field against Héctor Neris. Shortly afterwards, Buster Posey came up to bat. Posey has history with Neris after getting plunked by him in the last game they played against each other in San Francisco last year, one which Posey believed to be intentional. Neris didn’t help matters today, pitching him inside twice, before Posey proceeded to hit his fourth home run of the season. I would say Posey won this exchange. Revenge is a dish best served on a platter down the middle of the plate. Today's line for @BusterPosey: 2-4, solo HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs That gives him a .383 career average against the @Phillies #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/QynvE2QZ1m — San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) June 3, 2018 Andrew McCutchen almost repeated for his second of the game, but it bounced off the wall for a double. He then attempted to run home on a Brandon Crawford double, but was out by plenty to end the inning and cut the second rally short at one run. It was more than they would need, however, as Reyes Moronta came in and pitched a clean ninth inning to end the game. They didn’t gain any ground in the division, unfortunately, as the Dodgers beat the Rockies and the Diamondbacks beat the Marlins. So things remain the same, with the Giants and Dodgers tied for third place, two and a half games behind the Diamondbacks. But holding on is important, it is the key right now as they await Bumgarner’s debut and the return of Brandon Belt. And Dereck Rodríguez did that today, with the help of some big swings. And when you get your first major league win, you get a....beer shower in a shopping cart? Leave it to @punkpoint to capture another great moment - @DereckrodRF3 getting his first win and beer shower pic.twitter.com/8fQRVECntv — Carmen Kiew (@carmenkiew) June 3, 2018 I mean, I guess there are worse ways to celebrate. Enjoy it, kid. You earned it.<doc-sep>There has been a whole lot of nothing at AT&T Park the past two nights — and the Giants are liking it. After Chris Stratton and three relievers combined on a six-hit shutout of the Phillies on Friday evening, Andrew Suarez and two relievers combined on a three-hitter in the Giants’ 2-0 victory Saturday. “He’s got the stuff,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Suarez. “He’s got velocity; he stayed at 93 (mph) all night. He commanded the ball so well. He was on the top of his game. You could see the confidence in him.” The Giants had lost Suarez’s four previous starts; he absorbed the loss in three of them. He took a no-decision in a 6-5, 10-inning loss at Colorado on Monday — but also took some confidence from it. That’s because after allowing a three-run homer to Trevor Story with one out in the first inning, the rookie left-hander gave up just one (unearned) run and three hits over the rest of his five-inning stint in which he struck out seven. On Saturday, Suarez (2-4) backed up Monday’s performance by throwing seven innings. He allowed three hits, struck out five and did not issue a walk. It appeared the Phillies would take the lead in the third. With two outs and a man at third, Carlos Hernandez launched a drive to deep right-center. Suarez’s thoughts when Hernandez hit it: “I was like, ‘Oh, crap,’” he said. Right fielder Andrew McCutchen turned Suarez’s momentary fears into cheers. McCutchen motored a long distance and then made a high, backhanded grab as he reached the warning track. McCutchen spent most of his decade in the big leagues as a center fielder for the Pirates; he won a Gold Glove in 2012. He thought that catch very well might have been his best as a right fielder. “I didn’t think he had a chance for it, to be honest,” Bochy said. “It’s a game-changing catch.” Philadelphia starter Vince Velasquez made an impression on the Giants in a 6-3 Philadelphia win May 10. He struck out 12 in six innings. The right-hander, who turns 26 on Thursday, often avoided San Francisco bats Saturday evening. He racked up nine K’s, including the side in the fifth. The Giants got to him in the sixth. Joe Panik, who reached base four times in his return from the disabled list Friday night, opened the inning with a double off the wall in center, the first of his two hits. Brandon Crawford’s grounder moved Panik to third. With the infield in, McCutchen tapped one toward shortstop. Scott Kingery’s throw to the plate was high, enabling Panik to beat the tag from Jorge Alfaro. Make it 1-0, Giants. McCutchen’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning scored Panik for an insurance run. Items of note: •The Giants hadn’t thrown consecutive shutouts against the Phillies since Sept. 26, 1963 and May 19, 1964. •The Giants had lost their previous 24 games when scoring three or fewer runs. Their only other such wins this year were their back-to-back 1-0 decisions in L.A. to open the season. Steve Kroner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.<doc-sep>The Phillies lost to the Giants, again, on Sunday by the count of 6-1. In the three-game Giants sweep, the Phillies scored just one run -- a home run by Arrieta -- but it seems like he's angry about another part of the team. Here are the reporters from the locker room tweeting about what appears to have been a pretty nice rant by Arrieta: Seems like this might be something that's been brewing inside Arrieta for a while, because the shifts can't solely be to blame for his outing Sunday. He did give up a rash of singles, but several were line drives to the outfield. He also gave up a three-run home run to Andrew McCutchen. Before this outing, Arrieta was having an excellent season, too. Overall, he's still 5-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. In terms of what Arrieta says about shifting, he's right about the Phillies. They entered Sunday ranked 28th in the number of defensive shifts, though this doesn't break down just good and bad teams. The Cubs rank dead last in shifts and they're an excellent defensive team. Also of note is they are Arrieta's former team and he never complained about lack of shifting there. Time will tell if this was more than just a frustrated player blowing off steam after an awful series. Hat-tip: Yahoo Sports<doc-sep>Philadelphia’s star pitcher was fuming on Sunday after his team lost 6-1 to conclude a sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. His home run in the finale was the only offense the Phillies mustered all weekend.<doc-sep>
SAN FRANCISCO — Philadelphia Phillies ace Jake Arrieta vented his frustration Sunday after his team was swept by the San Francisco Giants, saying that it’s time for his teammates and the staff to be accountable. “I worked too hard for this (stuff)," Arrieta said after the Phillies’ 6-1 loss. “Something has to change.’’ Arrieta, 5-3 with a 2.66 ERA, watched his team score just one run in the last 29 innings - a third-inning homer by himself - and get burned by defensive shifts with routine plays not made. “We need some accountability all of the way around,’’ Arrieta said. “Everybody. From top to bottom. If there is not, I’ll make sure there is.’’ MORE MLB Arrieta, who yielded a 0.90 ERA in May, was pitching another gem, yielding just three hits in the first five innings, until the Giants produced five consecutive hits - three on ground balls, including a weak grounder to rookie shortstop Scott Kingery - culminating with a three-run homer by Andrew McCutchen. “I don’t believe in cheap home runs,’’ Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said, “but that ball was a fly ball.’’ Yet, it was the lack of plays made on ground balls that infuriated Arrieta, who had already induced two double-play grounders in the game. “We had bad defensive shifts,’’ Arrieta said. “We’re the worst in the league in shifts. ….It’s about as deflating as it gets. So we need to change that.’’ How do you change it? “Copy the best,’’ Arrieta said. “I don’t know. It’s not my job. “Use your eyes. Make an adjustment. We got to be better than this.’’ Kapler came under fire early in the season for his bullpen management, and the Phillies' extreme shifts drew the attention of those within and out of the organization, but the rocky patch smoothed some during a May in which the Phillies at one point moved into first place in the National League East. Sunday was a return to darker times. Arrieta was particularly annoyed at Kingery after Gorkys Hernandez’s one-out single to center after barely avoiding Arrieta’s fastball near his chin. Pinch-hitter Alen Hanson hit a soft grounder to Kingery, who didn’t charge the ball, and didn’t throw to second for the force-out, and his throw was too late to get Hanson at first base. “Kingery should have gone to second base on that play,’’ Arrieta said which Kapler agreed. “We need an out on that. Then they got three hits in a row. Credit McCutchen on putting a good swing on it, but I didn’t expect a ball like that to get out. “Overall, really a (expletive) series. Really bad. Really bad.’’ When asked what had him most upset over the series, Arrieta didn’t hesitate. “One run,’’ he said. “We scored one run. It’s not good.’’ And if not for Arrieta’s third-inning homer, they’d have a 29-inning scoreless drought. The Phillies are off Monday and then begin a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Arrieta’s first game since signing with the Phillies as a free agent. They are 31-26, and three games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, their biggest deficit since April 18. “We need to have an accountability check,’’ Arrieta said. “This is a key moment in our season. We had a pretty good April (16-12). A pretty good May (15-11). June isn’t starting off so well…. “I’m so furious.’’