Velasquez (3-4) picked up the win Thursday against the Giants, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out 12 batters across six innings.
Velasquez struggled early on in this one, serving up two homers in the first two innings to put the Phillies behind 3-0. He flipped a switch after the second long ball, however, retiring 15 of the next 17 batters he faced -- 11 via strikeout -- before exiting with his fourth quality start of the season. Velasquez's 12 strikeouts, which were the most he's recorded since he turned heads with a 16-strikeout game in 2016, offer a glimpse of what he's capable of doing when pitching well, but his struggles with keeping the ball in the park (1.8 HR/9) make him tough to trust. He'll look to keep things rolling in his next start, which will come on the road against the Orioles.