Philadelphia @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 7, 2015 ) San Francisco 4, Philadelphia 6

Next week’s All-Star break can’t arrive soon enough for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants, who begin a three-game series at AT&T Park on Friday. The Phillies are a season-high 30 games under .500 after being shutout in back-to-back games against the Dodgers, while the Giants are stumbling to the break with eight losses in their last nine games.

San Francisco has dropped 5 1/2 games behind first-place Los Angeles in the National League West but could have Buster Posey back in the lineup Friday after the All-Star catcher missed the last two games due to a tight right hamstring. The Giants lost two of three against the Mets after scoring a total of four runs in the series and need more production from center fielder Angel Pagan, who is batting .181 over his last 25 games. While the Giants are exercising patience with Pagan, the Phillies are quickly losing faith in right fielder Domonic Brown, who is batting .197 with no home runs in 76 at-bats. “His leash isn’t as long as it used to be,” Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. told CSNPhilly.com. “That’s been communicated to him.”

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Cole Hamels (5-6, 3.02 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (8-5, 3.34)

Hamels’ was victimized by a lack of run support again last Sunday, when he received a no-decision despite tossing seven scoreless innings in the Phillies’ 4-0 loss at Atlanta. The 31-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last seven starts. Posey is 9-for-18 with a home run against Hamels, who is 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 14 career starts against the Giants.

Bumgarner is looking to bounce back from his worst start of the season after yielding six runs over five innings in a 9-3 loss to Washington last Saturday. “He just got ambushed,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “They jumped him early with a couple mistakes.” The 2014 World Series MVP moved to 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies after allowing five runs in eight innings while striking out 11 on June 6.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Phillies have lost 15 of their last 17 road series.

2. The Giants have scored three runs or fewer in each of their last six games.

3. Philadelphia OF Ben Revere is 9-for-27 during his eight-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Giants 4, Phillies 1