Major League Baseball

Phillies 1, Athletics 0

Published Jun. 25, 2011 3:44 a.m. ET

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Ben Francisco's transition back to the bench is easier to accept when he delivers clutch hits.

Francisco's pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Philadelphia Phillies to a 1-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.

''It's not easy not playing,'' said Francisco, who began the season as the starting right fielder. ''We've been winning so I have to just try to continue to work. I know we have a lot of games left and if I can be consistent, maybe I'll get a chance.''

In a game in which rookie starters Vance Worley and Guillermo Moscoso took no-hitters into the sixth, neither team got a runner to third until the ninth.

Shane Victorino walked to start the inning against Brian Fuentes (1-8). He went to second on Domonic Brown's one-out single to right. Both runners advanced on Brian Schneider's grounder to first. Francisco then hit a high bouncer over third baseman Scott Sizemore's head to drive in Victorino.

''Any time you get a walk-off win, it's exciting for everybody,'' Francisco said. ''I was trying to put a good swing on the ball. I slipped in the box and swung one-legged.''

Michael Stutes (3-0) pitched a perfect ninth to get the win for the major league-leading Phillies (48-29). Four pitchers combined on the two-hitter.

Philadelphia's Worley allowed one hit and walked four in six innings, tying for the longest of his eight career starts.

''I knew I didn't have great stuff and gave it my best,'' Worley said. ''Those guys took a lot of pitches and made me work.''

Moscoso gave up two hits and walked three in a career-high seven innings.

Hideki Matsui lined a double to left-center with two outs in the sixth for the first hit of the game. Victorino made a diving attempt for the ball, but it was way out of his reach.

A disappointed Worley slumped off the mound as fans gave him a nice ovation.

Placido Polanco lined a single to center for Philadelphia's first hit with one out in the bottom half.

The last time both starting pitchers took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the same game was June 13, 2010, according to STATS, LLC. Chicago Cubs lefty Ted Lilly lost his no-hitter in the ninth and White Sox righty Gavin Floyd lost his bid in the seventh.

''It's frustrating,'' Moscoso said. ''We played real good baseball. That was a tough loss.''

The Phillies helped Worley with two outstanding defensive plays in the fifth. Kurt Suzuki led off with a slow bouncer to third. Polanco charged hard, barehanded the ball and just beat Suzuki with a strong, off-balance throw.

With two outs and a runner on second, first baseman Ryan Howard made a diving stop going to his right on a hard grounder by Jemile Weeks. His toss to first was wide, but Worley made the grab and kept his foot on the base.

Moscoso got help in the third from center fielder Ryan Sweeney, who robbed Jimmy Rollins of extra bases with a diving grab on a drive to right-center.

This was the A's first visit to Philadelphia since playing at Veterans Stadium in 2003. The teams have split 10 meetings.

The A's - not the Phillies - are the most successful baseball team to play in Philadelphia. They spent 54 seasons here from 1901-54 before moving to Kansas City, and won five World Series titles in that span. The Phillies have won just two World Series championships in their first 128 seasons.

NOTES: The Phillies clinched their first winning June since 2007, the year they won the first of four straight NL East titles. ... A crowd of 45,685 was the 177th consecutive sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. ... The Mariners are the only team that hasn't played in the Phillies' 8-year-old ballpark. ... Phillies manager Charlie Manuel flip-flopped Polanco and Victorino in the Nos. 2 and 5 spots. Polanco didn't hit well behind Howard, so he's back in his familiar two-spot in the lineup. He was 1 for 19 before his single in the sixth. ... The A's have hit one home run or fewer in each of the last 28 games, which is the second-longest streak in team history. The record is 31 games from July 21-August 19, 1978. They have 40 home runs for the season, which is the fewest in the majors. ... Manuel revealed closer Ryan Madson was not available because of a hand injury. He said Madson should be ready in three or four days.

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