PHILADELPHIA _ Aaron Altherr spent the first five months of the season on the sidelines. Instead of showcasing his potential, the outfielder was rehabbing a surgically repaired left wrist. And now he's making up for lost time.
Altherr homered and drove in the winning run on Tuesday night as the Phillies rallied past the San Francisco Giants, 13-8, at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies will use the rest of the season to evaluate Altherr and determine where he fits in their future plans.
He went 3-for-5 Tuesday and has six hits (including two homers) in his first 18 at-bats since being activated from the disabled list. The Phillies played the entire season without a true offensive threat from their corner outfield positions. Altherr's contributions are more than welcomed.
Altherr's go-ahead single in the eighth was followed by a towering three-run homer from Cameron Rupp. It was the most runs the Phillies scored this season. Maikel Franco hit his 20th homer of the season, joining Scott Rolen and Dick Allen as the only Phillies third basemen to reach that mark at age 23 or younger. He later tied the score at 8 with a single in the sixth, which set the stage for Altherr's two-run single two innings later.
The Phillies tagged Madison Bumgarner _ one of baseball's true elite pitchers _ for eight runs in five innings. It was the left-hander's shortest start since April 15.
For a moment, it looked like the team's onslaught of Bumgarner would go wasted. The Phillies spotted Zach Eflin a six-run lead, but the pitcher let it slip away. Eflin allowed six runs in five innings, struck out four and walked three. It was the rookie's second straight start in which he allowed six or more runs, spoiling a stretch of seven starts with three or fewer runs.
The Giants tagged Eflin for five runs in the fifth inning, all of which scored after Eflin failed to get a called third strike that would have ended the inning. Eflin, a bit stunned, hopped in place as umpire Bob Davidson instead signaled a walk to Buster Posey to load the bases. Eflin's night then unraveled as he yielded a two-run single to Brandon Crawford and a three-run homer to Brandon Belt.
An inning later, Davidson stopped the game to eject a fan. The umpire called time during the middle of an at-bat, removed his mask, and walked toward the Giants dugout. Davidson pointed to the stands and ordered a fan to be removed. Security guards quickly came and escorted the fan out of the ballpark.
Odubel Herrera started the eighth-inning rally with a one-out single. He hit a ground ball to the shortstop, sprinted up the first-base line, and slid into first base to beat the throw. The Phillies had life. Cesar Hernandez followed with a key double off the wall to bring up Altherr with runners on second and third. He poked a single up the middle and Herrera _ the front of his jersey covered in dirt _ waltzed home. The Phillies refused to go away.
