Phillies 2, Giants 1: Cole Hamels struck out 10 in eight solid innings and Chase Utley ripped a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth as host Philadelphia salvaged the finale of its four-game series with San Francisco.

Marlon Byrd had an RBI single in the first inning and joined Utley and Wil Nieves with two hits apiece for the Phillies, who elected to keep slugger Ryan Howard out of their starting lineup for the second straight game. Philadelphia has reportedly mulled releasing the 2006 National League MVP at the conclusion of the season while manager Ryne Sandberg publicly acknowledged that he likely have a platoon at first base.

Ehire Adrianza had an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Giants, who fell for just the second time in eight games while the Phillies posted their second win in nine contests. Gregor Blanco had two hits in the loss.

Hamels (5-5) won his third straight decision and reached the .500 mark for the first time this season after allowing one run on six hits. Jonathan Papelbon rebounded after blowing a save opportunity on Tuesday and picking up a loss the following night by retiring the side in order in the ninth for his 24th save.

After the teams traded RBI singles, Philadelphia regained the lead in the fifth thanks to some shoddy defense by San Francisco. Ben Revere advanced to second after left fielder Michael Morse dropped a pop fly and came around to score two batters later as Utley deposited a 2-1 sinker from Tim Hudson (8-7) into center field.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hudson fell to 7-3 in his last 14 outings versus Philadelphia and 11-10 against the club overall after permitting two runs on eight hits in six innings. ... The Phillies avoided being swept in a four-game series at home for the second time in under a month. They were brushed aside by Atlanta to close out June. ... Philadelphia continues its seven-game homestand on Friday in the opener of a three-game set versus Arizona. San Francisco returns home to begin a six-game stretch with the first of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.