PHILADELPHIA -- Cole Hamels used an amped-up fastball in his latest dominant performance. Hamels pitched eight strong innings and Chase Utley had a tiebreaking RBI single in the fifth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. Hamels (5-5) got the better of Tim Hudson in a matchup between starters who have combined for seven All-Star appearances. The Philadelphia left-hander gave up six hits while striking out 10 and walking one. More noted for his changeup, Hamels has found an extra gear for his fastball over his last two starts. After using it to shut down Atlanta in a 2-1 win last Saturday, Hamels frequently featured a heater that again touched the mid-90s. "Hes really gone with his fastball to set up his other pitches," Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Hes got everything behind him. Hes feeling very good; hes feeling strong." Added Hamels: "Everything was coming out the right way. I wasnt having to put as much effort into each pitch." Hudson (8-7) gave up two runs in six innings although both were unearned. The right-hander struck out six and walked two. "Youre hoping your guy gives you a chance, and thats what (Hudson) did," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "He pitched great." The Giants, who were looking for their first four-game sweep in Philadelphia since 1998, lost for just the second time in eight games. San Franciscos lead over the idle Dodgers in the NL West dropped to 1 1/2 games entering this weekends three-game series between the rivals at AT&T Park. Despite the defeat, the Giants return home feeling positive after a 5-2 road trip. "Thats a really good road trip," Bochy said. "Weve got a big series ahead of us. Its going to be a good, exciting series. Its what you play for." Utley, Marlon Byrd and Wil Nieves had a pair of hits for Philadelphia, which snapped its four-game losing streak while winning for just the second time in nine games. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 24th save in 27 opportunities to stop a rocky stretch. Papelbon blew his third save in Tuesdays 9-6, 14-inning defeat and took the loss in Wednesdays 3-1 loss. He was booed upon entering the field and then again when he was introduced by PA announcer Dan Baker. Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 inning to tie Goose Gossage for 21st place on the all-time save list with career save No. 310. Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard wasnt in the lineup for the second straight day as Sandberg has decided to look elsewhere to find production from first base. Howard has been in a power drought with just one homer since June 19 and his .224 average, .377 slugging percentage and .682 on-base plus slugging mark are well off his usual production. The move was eye-opening considering the three-time All-Star and former MVPs dominance against Hudson, against whom he has batted .328 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 67 career at-bats. Howards replacement, Darin Ruf, went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. "I wanted to see (Ruf) play for a couple of games, get him some at-bats and basically go from there," Sandberg said. "Well continue to watch." Sandberg met with Howard prior to the game, and Howard said he wanted to be in the lineup. But the manager made no promises, adding that a platoon with the right-handed hitting Ruf was possible. "If he has trouble against left-handed pitching and Darin Ruf is swinging it, that becomes an option," Sandberg said. "If (a platoon) becomes the scenario and both guys are going well, thats a good scenario." The Phillies got some help on both of their runs off of Hudson. In the first, Jimmy Rollins hit a one-out double, went to third on a passed ball and scored on Byrds single to left. San Francisco tied the game in the fifth on Ehire Adrianzas RBI single to centre. Philadelphia got some more good fortune in the bottom of the frame as Ben Revere opened the inning with a medium flyball to left. Michael Morse charged hard but couldnt come up with the grab and the error allowed Revere to reach second. Revere scored on Utleys single to centre. Hamels went at least seven innings for the 13th time in the last 15 starts and gave up three runs or less for the 11th consecutive outing. The left-hander reached double-digits in strikeouts for the fourth time this season and 27th in his career. Hamels cooled off Hunter Pence, who went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Pence entered batting .412 with a homer and six RBIs in the series, including the game-winning double in Wednesdays 3-1 Giants victory. "I dont ever recall his fastball being as good as it was today," Hudson said. Nieves came up limping after moving awkwardly to block a fourth-inning pitch to Adam Duvall but stayed in the game. Nieves was activated Monday after spending a month on the DL with a strained right quad. NOTES: Adrianza strained his right hamstring running the bases in the fifth inning. Bochy said hell be evaluated further on Friday. ... The Giants open a pivotal three-game series at home against the rival Dodgers on Friday with San Francisco right-hander Tim Lincecum (9-6, 3.68) opposing Los Angeles right-hander Zack Greinke (11-6, 2.90). . Philadelphia hosts Arizona for a three-game set that begins Friday when Diamondbacks lefty Wade Miley (6-6, 4.16) takes on Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick (4-10, 4.87). . The Giants last swept a four-game series against the Phillies Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 1999, and last did it in Philadelphia July 31-Aug. 3, 1998. Jameer Nelson Jersey . The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 48 games last season, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points. Alex English Jersey . Compared to what hes gone through in recent weeks, that seemed like a breeze. Speaking to The Associated Press on Friday at an NBA Cares event, Silver said hes thrilled that the leagues attention can be on the championship series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs -- and not, as it was for so much of the post-season, on the off-the-court matters involving the banishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and now the looming sale of that franchise. http://www.authenticnuggetsproshop.com/ ... is-Jersey/. -- J.R. Sweezy was the one part of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line that had avoided injuries or having to change positions this season. Denver Nuggets Jerseys . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted Monday morning that Callahan - who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is now open to a six-year contract at less than $7 million per season. Wilson Chandler Jersey . - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum.TSN announced Thursday that award-winning journalist Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) will join as the network as its Senior Correspondent. Known for his investigative reporting, Westhead will create original content that will be featured across TSNs platforms - TSN, TSN Radio, TSN.ca and TSN GO. "Rick is a distinguished journalist and bolsters our team of reporters and Insiders," said Ken Volden, Vice President and Executive Producer, Studio Production and News and Information, TSN. "As our Senior Correspondent, well continue to let him uncover compelling stories from the sports world. Were very proud to showcase his respected work across all of our platforms." "Ive been watching TSN programming for nearly three decades. Its a privilege to join a broadcast team that is so clearly established as the industry leader," said Westhead. "I plan to tackle issues nobody else wants to take on and offer up new perspectives on stories making headlines and the ones that are not on anyones radar." Westhead joins TSN from The Toronto Star, where he served as one of the newspapers foreign affairs writers in addition to covering sports business. Throughout his 20-year career, Westhead has reported on a vvariety of sports issues – including exposing the inner-workings of the KHL, and most recently, the renewed unionization attempts in the CHL – for a slate of leading publications, among them the Toronto Star, Bloomberg News, Canadian Press, Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Saturday Night Magazine.dddddddddddd His extensive resume also includes contributing reports to Hockey Night in Canada, The Business of Sports TV, and sports radio, as well as covering major sporting events such as The Masters, the Olympic Games, the Stanley Cup, and the World Cup of Hockey. Westhead has earned accolades for his foreign affairs work. Earlier this year, Westhead was part of a team that won the prestigious Project of the Year at the National Newspaper Awards. He was also honoured with the Toronto Stars Reporter of the Year Award in 2007. Westhead has reported in countries from around the world – from Afghanistan and Australia to Jordan and Japan – and lived in India from 2008-2011 as the Toronto Stars South Asia Bureau Chief. Throughout this career, he has interviewed key figures from the sports, entertainment, business, and political worlds, among them the Dalai Lama, Alicia Keys, and Malala Yousafzai. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '