Phillies bats lead the way in win over Diamondbacks

Freddy Galvis hopped out of the dugout and stood on the warning-track dirt in the fifth inning of a 7-5 win over Arizona on Saturday night. Galvis waved his arms above his head, seeking the attention of Carlos Ruiz, who stood on second after an RBI double.

Ruiz looked his way. Galvis put his hands to his head and wagged his fingers. Ruiz did the same. The Phillies scored three times in the fifth on the way to tying their highest run total of the season. The victory gave the team its first four-game winning streak since Aug. 24-27 of last season. Saturday was a night to have some fun.

Ruiz finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jeff Francoeur hit his third home run of the season. Grady Sizemore had his first four-hit game since 2008.

Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each had an RBI double. Howard is batting .342 with six RBIs in his last 10 games. Utley batted sixth for a second straight day. He finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a run.

Manager Ryne Sandberg said before the game that Utley's place in the lineup was "day-to-day." More games like Saturday's and Utley's days in the six-hole could be limited.

"He's just hitting balls away from the glove and defense. It's good to see," Sandberg said. "He's also come up with some situations with some guys hitting well in front of him and behind him, so I think it's a little bit contagious with guys swinging the bat. He seems to be right there in the middle of it."

The game was delayed in the third inning for 77 minutes. A white tarp covered the field at Citizens Bank Park as a heavy storm brought the season's first rain delay. Surely it was a wait long enough to spoil Jerome Williams' night. Williams had pitched the first three innings without a run. He came back for more.

Williams pitched two more innings and finished the night allowing two earned runs, striking out four, walking none, and allowing seven hits. He threw 75 pitches, 55 for strikes. It was his best strike percentage of the season.

"No hesitation at all. My arm's durable enough to go out there and pitch even with the delay," Williams said. "I just wanted to go back out there and help the guys out."

Williams earned his first win since April 26. The righthander's return after the delay was a blessing for the Phillies bullpen, which lacks a true long reliever. Sandberg said he would meet with his coaching staff in case the situation arose. Williams ensured it did not.

Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, and Jonathan Papelbon pieced together the final four innings. De Fratus allowed a run for the second consecutive game. Diekman was the lone reliever to be stretched past one inning. He needed 11 pitches to retire three batters in the seventh and forced the first batter in the eighth to fly out before giving way to Giles. It was Diekman's finest outing of the season.

Giles gave up just his second homer of his career to the first batter he faced. He then ended the eighth on two quick outs, including a strikeout to Chris Owings. Giles' fastball touched 96 m.p.h. The home run was less consequential, thanks to the Phillies' pair of three-run innings.

They scored their first run of the fifth inning on a double from Utley. Maikel Franco's helmet bobbed on his head before falling off and hitting the dirt as he rounded third base. Franco slid headfirst into home to beat the catcher's tag.

Franco went back into the dugout and took a seat on the bench. Galvis was waiting with a towel. He waved it at Franco. The rookie needed to be cooled off. The fun was just getting started.

@matt_breen