Phillies Notes: Franco adjusts from earlier at-bat vs. Strasburg

WASHINGTON - Stephen Strasburg needed just three pitches to dispatch Maikel Franco in the second inning Saturday. The power pitcher quickly threw two strikes past Franco when they met again in the third inning.

The rookie had looked futile a night earlier against Max Scherzer. This seemed to be more of the same. Franco adjusted this time, sped up his swing, and met Strasburg's 0-2 fastball with a powerful stroke. He sent it over the right-center-field wall - the tallest fence at Nationals Park - for his second homer since rejoining the Phillies on May 15. It was a bomb, manager Ryne Sandberg said.

"The power just comes with him connecting," Sandberg said. "The fact that he's making contact and connecting more often is the best part."

Franco entered the at-bat 1 for his last 12. His lone hit was an infield single in the ninth inning Friday. He was 1 for 21 in his career when falling into an 0-2 count. Franco said he expected Strasburg to throw a fastball.

"I just put it in my mind to see my pitch and put good contact on it," Franco said. "I don't care if I'm 0 for 12 or 0 for 20. I'm just going to think about that at-bat."

Freddy Galvis was out of the lineup for the second time in a week. The shortstop was replaced by Cesar Hernandez. Galvis has three hits in his last 24 at-bats. His batting average (.311) has dropped 42 points since May 15. Galvis went 0 for 4 on Friday but did hit a ball hard to the warning track.

"He's just a hair out of his game at home plate," Sandberg said. "Not quite pulling the trigger and finding himself in the hole."

Ken Giles was visited at the mound Friday night before he threw his first pitch. Manager Ryne Sandberg said he noticed Giles looking at his hand, prompting the manager, pitching coach Bob McClure, and a trainer to visit Giles. The pitcher had cut his thumb during his warm-ups.

Sandberg said Giles snaps his fingers so hard on a breaking pitch that his pointer finger's nail scratches his thumb. The cut was treated with a quick stitch application with glue. It was impressive, the manager said. Giles pitched a scoreless eighth inning of a 2-1 loss.

"There was blood coming all the way down. It was on the ball and everything," Sandberg said. "He was just going to ignore it."

- Matt Breen