Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies Notes: Giles earns first big-league save

OAKLAND, Calif. - For five days, Ken Giles waited. The suspension last week of crotch-grabbing closer Jonathan Papelbon made Giles the de facto man for the ninth inning. But there were no save opportunities for five games.

Philadelphia Phillies' Ken Giles celebrates after at the end of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. The Phillies won 3-0. (Ben Margot/AP)
Philadelphia Phillies' Ken Giles celebrates after at the end of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. The Phillies won 3-0. (Ben Margot/AP)Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. - For five days, Ken Giles waited. The suspension last week of crotch-grabbing closer Jonathan Papelbon made Giles the de facto man for the ninth inning. But there were no save opportunities for five games.

Then Giles inherited one Saturday, on his 24th birthday, against an A's team desperate for a victory. He threw 10 pitches, nine of which were strikes, and never wavered in closing out a 3-0 win over Oakland.

"It's awesome," Giles said. "I'm going to remember it forever. I've been waiting for my time to come. I'm blessed that I got the opportunity to get it on my birthday."

Giles has a 1.24 ERA, and very few moments have overwhelmed the hard-throwing righthander. His fastball topped out at 100 m.p.h. on Saturday.

"He's really stepping up, gaining experience at everything now," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "That's another feather in his hat."

Giles said there were no nerves once he started throwing in the bullpen.

"I'm not going to change anything," he said.

No Rollins

Jimmy Rollins, an Alameda, Calif., native, will not play in his homecoming weekend because of a strained left hamstring. He tested it Saturday afternoon with some jogging. Both Sandberg and head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan watched.

Sandberg, when asked whether Rollins will play again this season, could not offer an answer.

"We'll see," Sandberg said. "We'll see how he does and how he goes. I'm not going one way or another on it. Just watching the progress."

There are seven games remaining this season. Rollins has missed the last 12 games.

Extra bases

Domonic Brown, who injured his right wrist on a diving catch Thursday, did not play for the second straight game. That allowed Darin Ruf, who played left field, to make his fourth straight start. . . . Maikel Franco also made his fourth start. He is 2 for 15 in those games with six strikeouts. He made another fine play in the field Saturday, this time at first base.