Phillies' Freddy Galvis is good, and lucky

FREDDY GALVIS led off the bottom of the third inning of yesterday afternoon's game by hitting a routine ground ball to second base. Galvis arrived safely at first, however, because no one was there to take the throw from Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker.

When you're hitting over .350, good fortune finds you.

"For sure," Galvis said after Phillies' 4-2 win over the Pirates. "I just feel good."

The 25-year-old Galvis, who entered the 2015 season with a .218 average in 171 games, went 3-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs.

He's hit safely in 23 of his 33 starts this season and has seven three-hit games. Only Miami's Dee Gordon, with 10, has more three-hit games.

At the conclusion of yesterday's game, Galvis had a batting average that would lead the American League. He's hitting .353 - third in baseball, behind Gordon (.426) and Adrian Gonzalez (.360).

"I just try to stay short, short swings, stay on the ground, try to hit grounders," Galvis said. "Like today, I hit three grounders and got three base hits. I think that's the key. If I stay on the ground, I can get some base hits."

The fact that Galvis has turned a good start into a productive first month, and then carried into May, too, has not only fed his confidence but proved that he's in more than a fluky hot streak.

"When you're swinging it for 100 at-bats and starting to play some teams for the second time, which he has, he's just sticking with what's working for him and being real patient up there," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He's just really on the ball and doing a nice job just really cutting down his swing and making some solid contact."

It's probably no coincidence that Galvis' success has coincided with being an everyday player for the first time in his career, and not having to look over his shoulder waiting for someone to come off the disabled list and take his position away.

"You get that confidence knowing that you are going to go out there," Ryan Howard said. "You are going to have your good days, your bad days, but you are going to be able to bounce back. So for that, it's basically just going out and being able to get the reps and being able to show you can play at this level."

After 34 games, Galvis already has twice as many hits this season (42) as he had in 43 games in 2014 (21 hits).

One of the keys to his success has been attacking opposing pitchers early in counts. Galvis' first hit yesterday came on the first pitch he saw from Vance Worley; he's hitting .600 (12-for-20) with a double and triple when swinging at the first pitch this season.

He also has cut down his strikeouts. Galvis struck out 104 times in 550 career plate appearances from 2012-14 (18.9 percent); he's struck out 13 times in 130 plate appearances in 2015 (10 percent of his plate appearances).

"Last year I had a high kick so it was hard to recognize the breaking ball," Galvis said. "Now I'm putting my foot down earlier and I can see the breaking ball better."

Ken Giles entered the game - his third appearance in as many days - with a 0.59 ERA. Among major league relievers who had appeared in at least 15 games, Giles' ERA ranked fourth, behind Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances and Wade Davis, a trio that hasn't allowed an earned run in 2015.

But Giles' ERA was deceiving.

Among that same group of 82 major league relievers, only 13 had allowed more base runners this season. Giles allowed two more against the Pirates and watched both come around to score, too.

After Aaron Harang threw eight shutout innings - but was deemed done for the day at 112 pitches - Giles was summoned into a 4-0 game. He gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced - a leadoff single to Josh Harrison and a run-scoring double to Starling Marte - and watched his ERA jump more than a run, to 1.72.

Giles, who has '100M GILES' scripted onto his glove, hasn't hit 100 mph this year. His fastball, which reached 98 a week ago, topped out at 95 mph yesterday.

Five of the eight pitches he threw were sliders.

"He's still a little bit inconsistent with his control and command," Sandberg said. "He's just not throwing the pitches where he wants to on a consistent basis. With his velocity coming back, I think there will be some adjustments there to bare down with those two pitches, and they're two major league pitches."

Giles has allowed 15 hits and eight walks in 15 2/3 innings this season. Last year, he allowed 25 hits and 11 walks in nearly three times the amount of work - 45 2/3 innings.

The Phillies could call up third base prospect Maikel Franco as soon as this afternoon. Franco entered yesterday hitting .350 with a .913 OPS, four home runs and 12 doubles in 32 games at Triple A Lehigh Valley . . . Hafthor Julius Björnsson, the 6-9, 425-pound Icelandic actor who plays Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane on HBO's "Game of Thrones," will take batting practice at Citizens Bank Park before tonight's game . . . The Phillies acquired catcher Blake Forsythe from Oakland for cash.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese