GAME
RECAP: Phillies Wrestle White Sox 5-2
Jerad Eickhoff threw just 71 pitches over six quality
innings on Wednesday during the Phillies' 5-2 victory over the White Sox at
U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox three-game winning streak came to an end, as
Eickhoff allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two and not issuing a
walk. Eickhoff faced the minimum through five innings, having given up a
leadoff single to Adam Eaton in the fourth, which was erased on a Tim Anderson double-play grounder. But after giving
up two runs on three hits in the sixth, the Phillies went to their bullpen. "I
wanted him out on a positive note," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of
Eickhoff. "He's been struggling in the sixth inning and after that, so I
didn't want him going back out there. We have three guys I have confidence in
[Edubray] Ramos, [Hector] Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. So it worked out for
us." "Adam was the one that breaks it up and gets it going, but
[Eickhoff] was tough on us," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "A
great curveball. That's the biggest thing that sticks out. When he got in
trouble, that curveball was the pitch for us. After that, it just wasn't a good
night offensively. I don't think we swung it that well." James Shields suffered
the loss, although he made his first average start of the month. The White Sox
right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out six
without a walk. Shields retired the first five Phillies he faced before
consecutive hits from Tommy Joseph, Aaron Altherr and Freddy Galvis brought home two runs. Cesar Hernandez and Joseph also went deep for the
Phillies. The White Sox scored one in the ninth off of Gomez but stranded two
runners when Dioner
Navarro grounded
out to second to end the contest.
PHILS PHACTS:
- The sixth
inning has been a problem this season for Eickhoff, who has a 12.32 ERA in
the sixth compared to a combined 2.64 ERA in the first five innings. But
after he allowed the two-run homer to Navarro and allowed a hit to Tyler
Saladino to
bring the tying run at the plate, he retired the next three batters to
preserve the Phillies' two-run lead. "I tried to slow it down,"
Eickhoff said. "Freddy [Galvis] came out and said I was going a
little quick, a little fast, so he was kind of instrumental in slowing me
down and making me make pitches. I was happy to get out of that inning and
bounce back."
- Hernandez,
Joseph and Altherr continue to make cases for 2017. Hernandez hit a solo
homer to left in the third and Joseph hit a solo shot to right in the
sixth. Hernandez entered the game hitting .343 (72-for-210) with 15
extra-base hits, including three homers, 16 RBIs and a .413 on-base
percentage over his previous 59 games. Joseph has hit 17 homers, giving
Phillies' first basemen a Major League-leading 33 homers this season.
Altherr added a pair of hits and two RBIs, as well. Mackanin said he has
been impressed with each of them. "That's kind words from the guy
that's at the helm of the club," Joseph said. "You get the
opportunity, you just try to make the most of it. And that's what I'm
trying to do and that's what everybody in here is trying to do."
- "We won, so I guess I made the right move. That's how it
works, right?" - Mackanin, on removing
Eickhoff, despite throwing just 71 pitches after six innings.
- Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard made his
first career appearance at U.S. Cellular Field and has now played in all
30 big league ballparks. He singled, giving him a hit in all 30, as well.
- The Phillies
and Class A Lakewood announced a four-year extension to their player
development contract. The BlueClaws will remain in the South Atlantic
League through the 2020 season.
NEXT
GAME:
The Phillies return to action Friday when they
open a three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.21 ERA) faces Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon (11-7, 3.36 ERA) in the series opener.
PHILS PHACTS:
Stabilizing
The Rotation – The Phillies opened the season with Jeremy Hellickson, Charlie Morton, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff in their rotation. Adam Morgan, Zach Eflin, Jake Thompson and Phil Klein have come and gone at different
points, too, but only Eickhoff has the opportunity to make every scheduled
start from the beginning of the season to the end. He continued that pursuit
Wednesday night in a 5-3 victory over the White Sox at U.S.
Cellular Field. "That's my job," Eickhoff said. "I take pride in
what I do and in that." Eickhoff allowed four hits and two runs and struck
out two. Surprisingly, he left after throwing only 71 pitches in six innings.
Eickhoff said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure
told him they pulled him because they want him to finish the season healthy and
make every start the rest of the way. "You can't complain about
that," Eickhoff said. "I'm very lucky and very fortunate to be
healthy this year." But Mackanin also said they removed Eickhoff from the
game because "I wanted him out on a positive note. He's been struggling in
the sixth inning and after that, so I didn't want him going back out there. We
have three guys I have confidence in [Edubray] Ramos, [Hector] Neris and
[Jeanmar] Gomez. So it worked out for us." The sixth inning has been a
problem for Eickhoff, who has a 12.32 ERA in the sixth compared to a combined
2.64 ERA in the first five innings. Sure enough, he had pitched five scoreless
innings when he allowed a two-run home run to Dioner Navarro in the sixth to cut the Phillies' lead
to 4-2. White Sox second baseman Tyler Saladino then followed with a single to put the
tying run at the plate. But Eickhoff retired the next three batters to end the
inning: Adam Eaton flied out to left, Tim Anderson struck out swinging and Melky Cabrera flied out to center. "I tried to
slow it down," Eickhoff said. "Freddy (Galvis) came out and said I
was going a little quick, a little fast, so he was kind of instrumental in
slowing me down and making me make pitches. I was happy to get out of that
inning and bounce back." Eickhoff has thrown 155 2/3 innings this season.
He threw a career-high 184 1/3 innings between the Minor Leagues and Phillies
last year. He is not on an innings limit, so he should make the rest of his
scheduled starts. "No, no, no," Mackanin said about an innings limit
for Eickhoff. "I wanted him out on a positive note. We won, so I guess I
made the right move. That's how it works, right?"
Veterans
Clear Waivers – Do not expect Ryan Howard to be anywhere but Philadelphia when
the Phillies finish their season Oct. 2. Carlos Ruiz is
likely to be in a Phillies' uniform for the season finale, too. But ESPN.com
reported Wednesday that both players have cleared waivers, which means the
Phillies can trade them before the Aug. 31 deadline to make players eligible
for postseason rosters. Both players could help contenders, but at the moment,
it's unlikely either is dealt. "I guess you've got to see what presents
itself," Howard said before Wednesday night's game against the White Sox
at U.S. Cellular Field. "You know me, the last 12 years I've just been
focused on playing ball. If it presents itself, it presents itself. You handle
that situation. Otherwise I just try to stay in the moment, stay in the now and
prepare for the game." Howard has hit .324 (24-for-74) with four doubles,
eight home runs, 18 RBIs and a 1.062 OPS since July 3. But it is believed the
Phillies prefer to finish the season with their iconic first baseman, rather
than flip him to a team for a minimal return -- if any teams express interest
in him. ESPN.com reports a couple teams have some interest in Ruiz, but it is
not believed to be an intense pursuit. Ruiz is hitting .261 (43-for-165) with
six doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs and a .719 OPS this season. He has a .368
on-base percentage. Ruiz has started four of the last six games, including as a
designated hitter on Tuesday, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said that is
just a coincidence and not the Phillies showcasing him for potential suitors. "Maybe
it's possible," Ruiz said. "Maybe it's not. Depending on how
everything goes, it's possible. So far, there's nothing. I don't know. I'm
still happy here. It was something I was thinking early in the season to now.
We'll see what happens." Both Howard and Ruiz have full no-trade rights,
but Ruiz has indicated he would love to play in the postseason again. "That's
definitely one of my goals, to come back to the postseason and have a chance to
go to the World Series," Ruiz said. "I'd like to go and win this
thing. It's going to be a tough decision you'll have to make. But baseball
continues, life continues and I have to continue to work." Howard has a
$25 million club option for 2017, but the Phillies are expected to take a $10
million buyout instead. Ruiz has a $4.5 million club option for 2017, but the
Phillies are likely to take a $500,000 buyout.
Here
To Stay – Jake Thompson's first four starts in the big leagues have not
gone according to plan, but he will have more opportunities to turn things
around this season. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Wednesday that Thompson
will remain in the rotation. "At this point, yeah," Mackanin said.
"In Triple-A, you can get away with more mistakes. You can't get away with
mistakes here. You immediately find that out when you start making a few
mistakes. They don't get popped up or grounded out. They get hit. What he's
doing now is just trying to make perfect pitches and trying too hard. Keep the
ball down. Keep it down. Everything is up in the zone. He didn't do that in
Triple-A. When he did, he got away with it." Thompson is 1-3 with a
9.79 ERA in his first four starts. He is tied with Alec Asher for the
second-highest ERA in franchise history for a pitcher that made four starts in
his first four big league appearances. Only Mike Maddux fared worse. He posted
a 9.98 ERA through his first four starts in 1986.
Today
In Phils History – The Phillies lost to the Cubs by a score of 26-23
on this day in 1922 after having climbed out of a 25-6 defecite in the 4th
inning despite not hitting a single homerun in the game. The Phillies honored
Del Ennis on this day in 1955 for driving in more runs than any other player in
team history (Ennis added 4 RBI during the double header sweep over St. Louis
after the presentation). Jim Bunning (1984) and Curt Simmons (1993) were each
inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame (later know at the Wall of
Fame) on this day. On the same day that pitcher Jeff Juden hit a homerun off
Phenom Hideo Nomo in 1995, Gregg Jefferies also hit for the cycle. Roy Halladay
moved to 0-13 on the year, all strikeouts with his second plate appearance of
the game on this day in 2013 setting a NL and tying the MLB record for
consecutive strikeouts. Finally, happy birthday to Doug Glanville who was born
on this day in 1970.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 59-68 this season putting them on pace to beat most
preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 52-63-0 on this day. I expect
the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the
NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.
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