San Francisco Giants

Giants hope to avenge earlier sweep by Phillies (May 31, 2018)

Published May. 31, 2018 11:56 p.m. ET

SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants are expecting reinforcements Friday night when they seek revenge on the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a three-game series.

The clubs met in Philadelphia earlier this month, with the Phillies overpowering the Giants in four straight, smacking eight home runs to the visitors' three.

The Phillies won the games 11-0, 4-2, 11-3 and 6-3, with Nick Pivetta getting the pitching win over Chris Stratton in the third game.

The right-handers will duel in a rematch in Friday's opener.

The Giants played the series without second baseman Joe Panik, left fielder Hunter Pence and closer Hunter Strickland, all of whom are possibilities to be reinstated from the disabled list during this series.

In fact, if the Giants could figure out three corresponding moves that would enable it to happen, it's possible all three will be in uniform on Friday.

"We're going to have some action going on this weekend," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after his club's 7-4 win at Colorado on Wednesday that brought a 2-6 trip to a close.

The Giants will be opening a six-game homestand.

Stratton (6-3, 4.97 ERA) hasn't lost since his debacle in Philadelphia, when he couldn't get out of the fifth inning. He gave up the Phillies' first five runs in the 11-3 drubbing.

Stratton hasn't pitched a whole lot better -- 10 earned runs and 21 hits in 15 innings -- but he has benefited from 24 runs of support in his last three starts, winning all three.

He has faced the Phillies just the one time in his career, going 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA.

Stratton will be dealing with a Phillies team that has played the previous four days in Los Angeles, including Thursday when they ran into Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and came out with a 2-1 win to split the four games.

Pivetta (4-3, 3.26) did not pitch in the series. He was last seen losing to Toronto on Sunday, which snapped his three-game winning streak.

He has allowed just three runs in his last four starts, a stretch began with five shutout innings in the earlier meeting with the Giants. He gave up just four hits in that one, the only time he has faced San Francisco, giving him a 1-0 record and 0.00 ERA.

Six different Phillies combined for the eight homers in the earlier sweep of the Giants, and one of them wasn't Nick Williams, who bombed one apiece on back-to-back days against the Dodgers earlier this week.

In fact, Williams kept his hot hitting going Thursday against Kershaw, singling off the Dodgers ace in each of his first two at-bats.

If Panik, out since April 27 with a thumb injury that required surgery, returns Friday, there's a good chance Giants fans won't get an opportunity to witness the newly found versatility in utility infielder Pablo Sandoval.

The veteran, who pitched an inning earlier this season, played second base for the first time in his career on the Giants' just completed trip.

Sandoval started at the new position in Sunday's nationally televised loss to the Chicago Cubs. Along with an error-free effort, he found time to contribute an RBI single to the offense.