Phillies hope Eflin shrugs off bad start vs. Reds (Jul 28, 2018)
Fifty-six was on the mound, the number the Philadelphia Phillies assigned to right-hander Zach Eflin. The boxscore listed Eflin as the Phillies pitcher.
But it certainly didn't look like the Zach Eflin the Phillies have seen most of the season.
The Eflin they remember was the first Phillies pitcher to win six consecutive starts since Cliff Lee in 2011, and a primary reason why they've overtaken Atlanta and favored Washington for first place in the National League East.
Eflin starts again Sunday as the first-place Phillies and last-place Cincinnati Reds wrap up their four-game series at Great American Ball Park, and the Phillies would love to see the return of the pitcher who didn't lose for a month.
Yes, that Zach Eflin.
They could use him, too. Since tying a club record with seven homers while getting 18 hits during a 9-4 victory Thursday, the Phillies have only two homers and 11 hits while losing each of the last two nights.
Joey Votto had a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth while going 3-for-4 and reaching base four times, and Jose Pereza had a pair of doubles as the Reds won 6-2 on Saturday night, following up on their 6-4 victory Friday night.
Minutes afterward, Votto already was looking ahead to Sunday's game, when the Reds could take the series. Despite their 47-58 record, they are 7-2-1 in their last 10 series. The Phillies, who lead the NL East by 2 1/2 games, are 9-2-1 in their last 12 series.
The Reds will start right-hander Luis Castillo (5-8), who is coming off two successive effective starts.
"We've got a game to play (Sunday), a game to hopefully win and win a series," Votto said. "That's what we've got to try to do. The attitude in the clubhouse is to try to win series."
Standing in their way will be the right-handed Eflin (7-2, 3.41), who returned from a two-week layoff with a blister on his right middle finger to last only 2 2/3 innings Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, matching the shortest start of his career. He wasn't on the mound for very long, but it was enough time for him to allow solo home runs to three of the 16 batters he faced, and walk three others.
Eflin's ERA climbed to 3.41, up from 2.97 only two starts before.
"It was just one of those games where I didn't really have anything going. My timing was kind of messed up; I just couldn't get in a rhythm," Eflin said. "I couldn't really throw any offspeed pitches for strikes, let alone my fastballs for strikes. I was falling behind guys, was 2-0 on probably every hitter."
Eflin isn't blaming the injury, but he has allowed six earned runs and four homers over 7 2/3 innings in his two starts after giving up only eight earned runs in 37 2/3 innings during his pre-injury winning streak.
Back then, he said, "I believe more in my stuff than I ever have in my life. It's good to carry that confidence into the game and to have a good game plan. Like I said, confidence is the greatest thing."
The Phillies are confident Eflin can get turned around for the final two months of the season, when they're going to need him to consistently give them good starts if they're to chase the division title.
The Phillies are 4-2 against the Reds this season. Eflin has faced the Reds only once, an 8-4 loss on May 28, 2017 in which he surrendered seven runs and nine hits in five innings.
Castillo gave up three earned runs in 10 1/3 innings while beating the St. Louis Cardinals in his last two starts -- Monday and July 14. He's faced the Phillies only once, giving up three runs and five hits in six innings before Philadelphia went on to beat Cincinnati 4-3 in 12 innings April 11 at Citizens Bank Park.
