Eflin wins again, Knapp has key hit
By Aaron Bracy
PHILADELPHIA » Zach Eflin pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight victory, Andrew Knapp had the winning hit for the second straight game and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Rhys Hoskins had a tworun double for the Phillies, who have won 11 of 16.
Mark Trumbo homered for Baltimore, which has dropped eight of nine.
The game was delayed 1 hour, 25 minutes due to rain and played mostly under a persistent drizzle.
Eflin (7-2) allowed two runs and five hits with six strikeouts and no walks to become the first Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee in 2011 to record six consecutive wins. The right-hander has a 1.91 ERA while striking out 34 and walking six in 37.2 innings over that stretch.
Rookie Seranthony Dominguez got four outs for his eighth save in nine chances.
Dominguez got out of a jam in the eighth after entering with two outs, a man on first and star Manny Machado up.
Dominguez walked Machado and Trumbo to load the bases for Chris Davis.
Third baseman Maikel Franco made a stellar diving play to his right to snare Davis’ ground ball before throwing him out at first to keep the Phillies ahead 3-2. The out was upheld after an Orioles challenge.
Philadelphia took a onerun lead in the fourth on Knapp’s two-out triple to right off Alex Cobb (2-10) that scored Nick Williams. Knapp, Philadelphia’s backup catcher, started two days after his game-ending homer in the 13th lifted the Phillies over the Nationals 4-3.
Cobb gave up three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 6.2 innings.
Trumbo staked Baltimore to a 1-0 lead by crushing Eflin’s 94 mph fastball into the seats in left in the second.
Philadelphia went in front 2-1 in the third on Hoskins’ two-out double off the wall in left that scored Franco and Cesar Hernandez.
Machado, speculated to be a target of the Phillies either via trade or free agency, was loudly cheered when he was introduced by PA announcer Dan Baker prior to the contest.
TRAINER’S ROOM
ORIOLES » OF Colby Rasmus has been placed on the restricted list after informing the club that he was leaving the team. Rasmus has struggled with a left hip injury for two seasons. He was hitting .133 with one homer in 18 games this season after signing a one-year, $3 million deal in the offseason . ... INF Steve Wilkerson (left oblique) was placed on the 10-day DL. Wilkerson, who is 4 for 17 since making his debut June 20, was injured in Sunday’s 8-2 win over the Angels.
PHILLIES » RHP Jerad Eickhoff (right lat strain) will throw live batting practice Wednesday. He has been out all season . ... Reliever Edubray Ramos (right shoulder impingement), who has been on the DL since June 25, threw a bullpen Tuesday and could be activated on Friday.
UP NEXT
Baltimore rookie RHP Yefry Ramirez (0-1, 2.89) will make his second start and third appearance with the Orioles against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (10-2, 2.48) on Wednesday afternoon.