The Sports Xchange
Jul 9, 2017
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff was in danger of completing his first half without a win on his ledger.
His team put on a home run clinic to make sure that didn't happen.
Eickhoff turned in a solid outing in his first start since June 17, the Phillies hit six home runs, two coming from Freddy Galvis, and beat the San Diego Padres 7-1 at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday.
The Phillies (29-58), whose six homers were the most they have hit in a game since 2004, snapped a five-game losing streak while San Diego (38-50) saw its stretch of five wins in six games disrupted before the All-Star break.
Eickhoff (1-7) was activated Sunday (back injury) and had one of his best performances. He tossed five shutout innings, tying a season-high with eight strikeouts. Eickhoff allowed five hits, walked one batter, hit a batter with a pitch and generated a season-best 14 swing and misses.
Trevor Cahill (3-3) was handed the loss in his second start since returning from a long stint on the disabled list.
Cahill ran into trouble in the second. With one out in the inning, he left a sinker up in the zone that Nick Williams, the Phillies outfielder, took the other way to left field for his first career home run. Two batters later, Cahill elevated a cutter that catcher Cameron Rupp belted to center field for a 2-0 Phillies' lead.
In the third, after Cahill hit leadoff man Aaron Altherr with a pitch, Galvis sent a two-run shot to the upper deck in right to push the Phillies lead to 4-0.
Meanwhile, Eickhoff was cruising. He struck out the side in the third and punched another two out in the fourth.
In the fifth, though, the Padres started connecting. Cahill led of the inning with a single before leadoff hitter Wil Myers lined out to center. The next batter, Manuel Margot, hit a sharp single to center. Eickhoff, however, escaped trouble with two loud outs to get out of the inning unscathed.
With the All-Star break looming and Eickhoff making his first start in a few weeks, manager Pete Mackanin elected to pull him after five innings and 71 pitches.
Cahill, too, pitched five. He allowed four runs on six hits while striking out eight. He was done in by the three home runs.
The Phillies didn't stop adding to their lead with Cahill gone.
Odubel Herrera hit a solo homer in the sixth. Altherr and Galvis hit back-to-back home runs off reliever Phil Maton to up the lead to 7-0 in the seventh.
That was more than enough to earn a victory for Eickhoff, who became the first Phillies pitcher to go winless in his first 14 starts since Matt Beech in 1997.
San Diego scored its only run off Hector Neris in the ninth inning.
NOTES: Phillies RHP Luis Garcia has not allowed a run in his last 12 2/3 innings. ... Major League Baseball's All-Star break begins Sunday night and play resumes Friday across the league. ... Both teams are sending a reliever to the All-Star game as their only representative. San Diego is sending LHP Brad Hand while the Phillies' representative is RHP Pat Neshek. ... The Phillies open the second half with a six-game road trip to Milwaukee and Miami. San Diego begins the second half at home against San Francisco.