Herrera’s 5 RBI help Phils blast Giants

PHILADELPHIA » Odubel Herrera homered twice and drove in five runs, helping Zach Eflin and the Philadelphia Phillies rout the San Francisco Giants 11-0 on Monday night.

Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez also connected for Philadelphia, which had dropped six of eight. Santana drove in four runs, and Hernandez had two RBIs.

Eflin (1-0) struck out a careerhigh nine in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits and walked three.

Herrera hit a three-run drive off Jeff Samardzija (1-2) in the first and a two-run shot off D.J. Snelten in the sixth. He also walked and scored on Santana’s three-run homer in the fifth.

Maybe it’s a coincidence and maybe it isn’t a stretch to think it’s not.

Either way, there has to be some reason why, one day after Phillies closer Hector Neris had a ninth-inning meltdown in D.C., manager Gabe Kapler announced that top closer prospect Seranthony Dominguez was joining the club Monday.

If that seems a little quick ... that’s because Sir Seranthony started the season in Double-A. Not that it’s a fast promotion or anything since we’re, um, five weeks in.

“In the minor leagues, he’s been pitching exceptionally well,” Kapler said. “Really good in Double-A and made the progression to Triple-A; he’s done well there. (He) has a couple of days off, good to go for us tonight. So that’s some news.”

After playing at all levels of A-ball in two previous seasons, Dominguez, 23, made news at spring training with a fastball that was popping at 98 mph. He promptly pitched 13 innings over eight appearances at Class AA Reading in April, going 1-2 with a crisp 2.08 ERA. At Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he threw 3.2 scoreless innings and received a quick call to Philly.

But not so fast with the Neris link, Kapler might say.

“This has nothing to do with something I’ve seen recently,” Kapler said. “With Seranthony (it’s) just his performance in Double-A and Triple-A. He’s a very capable, equipped, major leagueready pitcher. He’s going to slide into our bullpen and take down meaningful innings for us.

“There’s a lot of reasons to like Seranthony. The first reason is he’s got a really big fastball, and the slider and change-up play well also. But the thing that I find most impressive about him is his composure and his maturity and his mental readiness. Those are the things that stood out in spring training and continue to stand out.”

To make room on the roster for Dominguez, lefty reliever Adam Morgan was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a back strain.

Over the next several days, however, don’t be shocked if at some point Dominguez is brought into a crucial situation in the ninth inning to play Sir Savior.

“I would have no hesitation putting him in a highleverage situation tonight,” Kapler said. “Does that mean the ninth inning or the sixth inning specifically? No. But I’m not going to say we won’t use him in any inning, either.”

Neris has only been used at the end of games, usually called on to protect a lead. That’s what a closer does. But Kapler, like predecessor Pete Mackanin, seems reluctant to call Neris only a closer.

Maybe Hector just doesn’t like that word?

“I think I’ve had this conversation with all of our relievers and I’ll continue to have it,” Kapler said. “There is no one specific role relievers are going to be used in.”

*** Neris, who couldn’t get an out through five batters while blowing a save and the game Sunday at Nationals Park — then didn’t talk about it later — met with media members in the clubhouse Monday and just said he was in a forgetting mood.

“Bad day for me yesterday, but it doesn’t happen to me every time,” said Neris, who threw mostly fastballs rather than his best split-finger stuff during the disastrous appearance. “Yesterday I used two or three splits in situations because I wanted ground balls.”

He got them ... but they got through. One pitch hit ex-Phil Howie Kendrick. Neris wasn’t exactly dialed in.

“It’s not a good day for the command yesterday,” he said. “I wanted to attack in on the hitters and I didn’t throw what I want.”

That said, he added, “We’ve got a long season. If it’s the wrong situation now you can prepare for the next couple of games, for the year, because you lose yesterday and it’s past. But I want to be good for the team to make the playoffs.”