Giants find a slugger, while Phillies looking for help on offense

Jung Hoo Lee and the San Francisco Giants hope to build off a productive weekend when they kick off a four-game series Monday against the host Philadelphia Phillies.

San Francisco has been one of the top teams in baseball this season, winning 11 of its first 15 games, including two of three at the New York Yankees this weekend. The Giants captured the rubber game 5-4 on Sunday behind Lee’s two home runs.

“Quite a series for Jung Hoo here at Yankee Stadium,” San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s pretty remarkable.”

Lee homered three times over the weekend and is now batting .352 on the young season with a league-leading eight doubles.

“I don’t think he’s afraid of the spotlight,” said Giants right-hander Logan Webb, who earned the win Sunday after allowing three runs over five innings. “I’m excited to see him keep growing and keep getting better. I think there’s even more in there.”

Philadelphia, meanwhile, won six of its first seven games but has since dropped five of its last eight. The team was shut out twice during a three-game set in St. Louis over the weekend, including a 7-0 defeat to the Cardinals on Sunday.

“As an offense, we have to be better,” Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said. “We had some opportunities to hit some pitches over the zone and it just didn’t happen. We’ve got to be better. We’ll find our way. Our eyeballs have been good lately, but you’ve got to also hit with guys on base and in scoring position.”

Among the culprits in Philadelphia’s struggling lineup is Brandon Marsh, who struck out twice Sunday and is 0-for-24 in April. Marsh is hitting .108 on the season.

“I know I’m not doing my part, which stinks the worst,” Marsh said. “I just feel like I’m letting my guys down.”

Taijuan Walker (1-0, 0.00 ERA) endured that nightmare for the Phillies last season, when he pitched to a 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances, including 15 starts. However, his first two outings this season have been promising, as the right-hander has yet to allow a run in 10 2/3 innings. He’s set to start against San Francisco on Monday.

Most recently, Walker tossed 4 2/3 scoreless frames against Atlanta on Wednesday. He has done a nice job against current Giants infielders Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores, holding them to a combined 2-for-19 over the years.

San Francisco will give the ball to Landen Roupp (0-1, 3.60), who will make his third start of the season. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched mostly out of the bullpen as a rookie last year, and he’ll be facing Philadelphia for the first time.

In his last start on Tuesday, Roupp yielded one run and seven hits over six scoreless innings. He struck out four batters without a walk in a game that the Giants lost 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds.

“It’s probably as good as I’ve felt with it since the first game of spring training,” Roupp said of his cutter — a new pitch that he hopes will complement his sinker. “I got some weak contact on it and swing-and-miss, and I was throwing it for strikes. That was encouraging.”

–Field Level Media