Eickhoff used DL stint to think and recover
PHILADELPHIA » For as long as he’s played baseball, Jerad Eickhoff had never wondered when he would have that chance again. Then he felt a pain in his back a few weeks ago, requiring medical attention, a disabled-list hitch, rehab in the minor leagues … and a changed professional perception.
“The time off,” Eickhoff said. “It was the first time missing a start that I can remember, back to playing as a little kid. And it kind of forced you to sit back and think.”
He thought about his usually snapping curve ball, which he was having difficulty locating. He thought about his 0-7 record. He thought about the growing number of productive, young Phillies starting pitchers, and how he would be affected by the swirl. And he thought about a troubling Phillies season, and the necessary corrections.
Sunday, the 27-year-old right-hander provided most of the right answers, striking out eight in five innings of the Phillies’ 7-1 victory over the San Diego Padres while registering his first win of the season.
“Not that I ever took anything for granted, but the time off just makes you appreciate things a lot more,” said Eickhoff, who had been on the disabled list since June 20. “It felt really good to get out there today and contribute and help us win. These guys played a great game behind me as well.”
The Phillies hit six home runs, a relaxant more reliable than anything Eickhoff might have used to ease the pain in his upper back. And as he left for the All-Star break, that winless 2017 record was no longer on his back, either … not that he obsessed on it anyway.
“I really don’t think so,” he said. “The season as a whole has just kind of made me focus on what I can control, more than any other season I think. And I’ve tried to focus on that and execute pitches. That’s all I can do. And to come out and do that today and get a win on top of it is a great feeling. It feels good to get back in that win column.”
Despite his strong start, Eickhoff was limited by Pete Mackanin to 71 pitches, 49 of which he threw for strikes.
“He threw 57 pitches in his last (rehab) outing and I could have sent him back out there,” the manager said. “But I didn’t really want to get him up to 85 or 90, especially as well as he pitched. I wanted to get him out on a positive note.”
For that, Eickhoff took Mackanin’s caution as a positive.
“Absolutely, just being a competitor,” he said, when asked if he’d wanted to remain in the game. “But I understood going into the break that we had a lot of pitchers hot. And coming off the injury, it wasn’t surprising to come out.”
*** The Phillies snapped a five-game losing streak, hit the All-Star break, and hung on to one burst of traditional sports logic: The second half of the season has to be better.
“We’ll come into the second half and try to be loose,” Freddy Galvis said. “We’ll do what we can. Sometimes, we try doing so much. I feel like we can do much better in the second half.”
Galvis did his part in the first half, providing entertaining defense 10 home runs, two of which he smashed deep to right Sunday.
“The wind,” the shortstop smiled, after his second career multi-homer game. “The wind took it.”
*** Nick Williams keeps the framed baseball from his first major-league hit on the top shelf of his locker. It soon will have company.
Williams hit his first big-league home run Sunday, going the opposite way against Trevor Cahill in the second inning. The Phillies were able to retrieve the ball, and Williams said he would provide the cooperative fan with a signed bat, some batting gloves and perhaps a pair of cleats.
“I think the adrenaline is still going,” Williams said. “I don’t think that can ever go away, honestly. At this level, you are facing the best. Today, Cahill. I heard about him even before I was drafted. So you hear these name guys that you actually get to face. So it’s kind of cool.” So was the souvenir. “It was awesome to get it back,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking I would get it back. I wouldn’t have been upset if I didn’t. But it was good to get it back.”
*** The Phillies finished the pre-break grind at 29-58.
“Right now, it’s about putting it together and seeing how many wins we can string together,” said Cameron Rupp, who hit his sixth home run Sunday. “It’s not about how you start. It’s about how you finish.”
In his last six games, Rupp is 6-for-18 with a home run and four walks.
*** NOTES » The last time the Phils hit six home runs in a game was Aug. 11, 2004, against Colorado … Luis Garcia extended his scoreless streak to 12.2 innings with a seven-pitch sixth Sunday … Phillies pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs in their last eight starts … Mackanin has low-key plans for the All-Star break: “I’m going to go to Stone Harbor for three days, eat, have a few drinks and sleep, go to the beach and let my wife nag me.”