Saunders not worried by early power outage
WASHINGTON >> In his first 14 games for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, Michael Saunders had one home run. By July 6, he had 16 and was on his way to the AllStar Game.
Relevant or trivial, it is recent history worth considering with Saunders having played 12 games as a Phillie without a homer.
“I’m not up there trying to hit home runs,” the 30-year-old, 10thyear veteran said Sunday, before the Phillies’ 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. “It’s something that’s going to happen. I feel like lately I have been having good AB’s. That’s what I am focused on.”
Saunders did not start Sunday, but he had been 5-for-19 over his previous five games and was 3-for-8 in the first two games of the Nationals series.
There was some concession to left-handed Washington starter Gio Gonzalez, as Pete Mackanin used a fresh outfield of Brock Stassi in left, Aaron Altherr in center and Daniel Nava in Saunders’ usual spot. But like Saunders, Stassi is a left-handed hitter. Nava is a switch hitter.
“He told me yesterday,” said Saunders, not surprised when the lineup card hit the clubhouse wall. “I want to be playing every day, but I understand. Everybody in here needs to be playing. That’s what’s going to make our team good. You can’t have somebody sitting on the bench for a couple months and then ask him to go out there and produce. So I understand.”
Saunders entered through a bottom-of-the-seventh doubleswitch Sunday. In his two at-bats, hebounced to second and struck out, his average dipping to .225.
“I feel like every player. I am trying to be consistent,” Saunders said. “But you go on your hot streaks and your cold streaks. And the better players in the game limit their cold streaks to a couple games. And my main focus is professional at-bats and I’m not trying to chase hits right now.
“Obviously, I’d prefer to be more consistent. But my goal is not to be chasing hits. When you are chasing that or chasing home runs, you’ll get yourself in trouble. I’m solely focused on just professional AB’s.”
*** Cesar Hernandez had his second leadoff home run of the season Sunday, when he went 3-for-4 with a stolen base. He is leading the Phillies with three home runs and is hitting .346.
“I’m happy for Cesar,” Mackanin said. “He’s playing full of confidence. And that’s what we need, for everybody to play with a lot of confidence and compete every day.”
Hernandez, who also homered Saturday, hit home runs on consecutive days for the first time in his career.
*** Joaquin Benoit, who has taken the closer job from Jeanmar Gomez, blew a save and took the loss Sunday, coaxing only two outs in the ninth before Bryce Harper hit a walk-off, three-run home run.
“I changed speeds a little bit on him before and it’s worked out,” Benoit said. “I threw him a fastball and he hit it out.
“I don’t like to second-guess myself. If something happened, it happened, and I take responsibility. I wanted to throw a fastball. I threw it. He hit it out.”
*** With Clay Buchholz out with a partial tear of his right forearm muscle, the Phillies needed a replacement starting pitcher. That will be Zach Eflin, who will start Tuesday against the Mets in New York.
“After what he did for us last year, he’s healthy,” Mackanin said. “And he’s the guy we wanted.”
Eflin was 3-5 last season, but his season ended early with knee troubles. He underwent surgery on each knee and was 2-0 in two minor-league starts this season.
*** NOTES >> The Phillies are off Monday before three 7:10 p.m. games in CitiField. Eflin will oppose right-handed Zach Wheeler (1-1, 7.45) Tuesday. Wednesday, it will be Vince Velasquez (0-2, 9.00) and right-hander Robert Gsellman (01, 9.28). Aaron Nola (1-0, 3.27) and righty Noah Syndergaard (10, 0.95) will pitch Thursday. … For an 11th consecutive start Sunday, Jerad Eickhoff allowed three or fewer runs Sunday. The last Phillies pitcher so successful was Cole Hamels, who had a 23-start streak in 2014. … Harper has 18 career home runs against the Phils.