Giants Rock Schilling, Philly

When Curt Schilling stomped onto the mound with a three-run lead in the seventh inning, everyone in the ballpark was thinking the same thing: Some variation of lights out, adios and see you in the funny papers.

Instead of becoming the first pitcher in the '90s to pitch six straight complete games, Schilling blew a late lead for the second time in three starts and lost. The Giants rocked Schilling for four runs in the seventh on Thursday and came back for a 7-4 victory over the Phillies.

"I didn't do my job," Schilling said. "Everybody on this team did what they had to do for us to win a game except me. That's the second time in three starts that I've done that."

Staked to a 4-1 lead after the Phillies scored three in the sixth, Schilling (8-3) gave up four runs, four hits and a walk in the seventh and left trailing 5-4.

His latest collapse capped a tumultuous two weeks in which he blew a 4-0 lead in the ninth inning against the Mets, then pitched a brilliant four-hit shutout against Colorado in his last start.

Asked if he had to work as hard on Thursday as he did in the ninth inning of his previous two starts, Schilling gave an answer that has come to define his season: "There's no inning like the ninth inning."

This time, the Giants didn't let him get there.

Jeff Kent was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, including a two-run single that tied it at 4 in the seventh. Ellis Burks drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly, then got 3 1-3 scoreless innings from the bullpen to salvage a rough road trip.

"Give Schilling a 4-1 lead, and it's usually over," Giants manager Dusty Baker said.

That's exactly what the Phillies and 20,560 fans were thinking after the Phillies scored three in the sixth on a bases-loaded double by Mike Lieberthal. But they didn't know what Lieberthal did.

"Curt really didn't have his slider the whole day," said Lieberthal, the Phillies' catcher. "His location was off. That's always what's going to hurt Curt Schilling."

He allowed five runs and 10 hits in seven innings, walkinthree and striking out seven. He got his 1,500th career strikeout when he fanned Rich Aurilia with the bases loaded to end the sixth.

That inning, in which Schilling's fastball was clocked repeatedly in the high 90s, might have taken too much out of him. Schilling threw 99 pitches after topping 130 in his previous two outings.

"I think he was tired, maybe, in the sixth inning," Lieberthal said. "He always loses his location when he's tired."

Phillies manager Terry Francona, grilled about why he took Schilling out, said would have sent the right-hander out for the eighth if his team had tied it or taken the lead in the bottom of the seventh.

"I understand your questions, but I have zero second-guesses about my decision," Francona said.

Former Phillie Jerry Spradlin (1-1) struck out Doug Glanville to end the sixth for the victory. Scott Servais hit his fourth homer off Yorkis Perez in the eighth to make it 6-4, and the Giants added an unearned run in the ninth.

Robb Nen got three outs for his NL-leading 16th save in 19 chances.

The Giants ended their brutal road trip on a positive note, salvaging a split in the four-game series. San Francisco was 4-6 on its 10-game trip despite winning the first two games.

"We needed this victory more than the Phillies did," Kent said. "We've been on the bad side of a road trip here, and we needed to come home with a victory to somewhat salvage a trip that started out good for us."

Schilling's quest to become the first pitcher since Orel Hershiser in 1988 to throw six straight complete games was derailed with one out in the seventh.

Pinch-hitter F.P. Santangelo and Marvin Benard singled, and Santangelo scored on Bill Mueller's single to make it 4-2. Charlie Hayes walked, and Kent ripped Schilling's first pitch right back over the right-hander's head for a two-run single that tied it.

After Burks gave the Giants a 5-4 lead with a sacrifice fly, Schilling got out of the inning when Stan Javier flied out.

Giants starter Shawn Estes walked the bases loaded in the sixth, and Lieberthal cleared them with a double down the left-field line that made it 4-1.

Mueller led off the fourth with a single and scored on Kent's double to left to make it 1-0. The Phillies tied it on Kevin Jordan's first homer leading off the fourth.

Estes, 2-9 since last year's All-Star break, allowed four runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings. He walked six one intentionally and struck out two.

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