Due to become a free agent at the end of this season, Cole Hamels is reportedly negotiating with the Phillies on a possible six-year deal worth as much as $144 million.
That would be more than what Matt Cain signed for with the Giants prior to this season.
The two double-digit winners oppose each other this afternoon in the middle contest of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
For the moment, the Phillies are focused on the 2008 World Series MVP helping them improve a putrid home record. They are just 17-28 at home, the worst such mark in the National League.
Hamels is coming off an eight-inning outing at Colorado where he allowed six hits and a run in a 5-1 win. The lefty has lost just once over his last six starts and during his career is 5-3 with a 3.95 ERA against the Giants.
Cain, who signed a $127.5 million, six-year contract before the start of this season, has struggled to a 1-4 mark with a 3.42 ERA in eight career games against the Phillies. He's coming off a victory versus Houston on Sunday. In that game, the righty limited the Astros to one earned run over 6 1/3 innings. He's won nine of his last 10 decisions and suffered his only road loss (5-1) of the year on April 24 against Cincinnati.
Last night, Brandon Crawford hit a grand slam and drove in five as San Francisco took a 7-2 win. Ryan Theriot went 4-for-5 with a run scored while Nate Schierholtz scored twice for the Giants, who have won six of their last seven games.
Tim Lincecum (4-10) came into the game with a 9.00 earned run average on the road this season and had dropped his past five road decisions, but he snapped that streak and lowered the ERA thanks to giving up just two runs over seven innings. He struck out six and walked two while giving up five hits to win as the guest for the first time since April 23 at New York against the Mets, a span of seven starts.
"He was pitching with confidence," said San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy about Lincecum. "He had good stuff, he used his fastball effectively. He pounded the strike zone well tonight. I thought he had good tempo tonight. He stayed under control. He wasn't overthrowing. He threw quality strikes."
Ryan Howard hit a solo home run while Vance Worley (5-6) gave up six runs on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts over six innings of work for the Phillies, who have dropped their past two after winning four straight.
"I missed my spots. Got hurt on the one pitch really," Worley said, referring to Crawford's slam that broke the game open in the sixth. "I felt strong. Everything was coming off the way I wanted to. Just missed."
Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino needs one more hit to reach 1,000 for his MLB career.
The Giants took two of three versus the Phillies at home from April 16-18.
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