Zach Eflin pitched a gem as the Phillies completed a successful series against the Miami Marlins with a 5-1 win on Sunday afternoon.
After losing the first game of the series, the Phillies took three in a row to win the series. The Phils are 5-2 against the Marlins on the season and 16-12 overall. They sport a tidy 11-5 record at Citizens Bank Park.
Eflin broke a three-start losing streak to earn the complete-game pitching victory and give the bullpen a nice rest.
Eflin had to be good because the offense produced only four hits on the day. Two of them, however, were extra-base hits to drive in runs. Sometimes it’s not how many hits you get, but when you get ‘em.
The keys
• Eflin delivered the Phillies’ best start of the season.
MLB
• With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins combined to see 17 pitches against Marlins starter Pablo Lopez. Harper drew a full-count walk. Hoskins then worked a full count and stroked the ninth pitch of the at-bat to left-center for an RBI double and a lead the Phillies never relinquished.
Two of the Phillies’ runs initially got on base via walks.
• One day after taking a 90-mph fastball off the noggin, Jean Segura passed concussion protocol and was back in the lineup. Segura gave his club a nice lift with an RBI triple in the third inning and a pair of singles later in the game. He scored two of the Phillies’ runs.
Eflin's day
He was in control the whole way in delivering the Phillies’ first complete game since Ben Lively did it in September 2017. The Phils had zero CGs last season.
Eflin threw strikes — he did not walk a batter — and was economical with his pitches. He threw just 99 through eight innings and 107 for the game. He scattered seven hits and struck out three.
The only run that Eflin allowed came in the fourth after second baseman Cesar Hernandez made a poor decision in the infield. Without that, Eflin might have had a shutout.
On the farm
There was another great pitching performance in the neighborhood Sunday afternoon. In Allentown, Nick Pivetta allowed just three hits and a run over six innings for Triple A Lehigh Valley against Buffalo. He walked three and struck out 14.
Thank you very much
Marlins pitchers walked six and threw two wild pitches that resulted in runs.
Up next
The Phillies are off on Monday. They open a quick, two-game interleague series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will send Vince Velasquez and Aaron Nola to the mound against Tyson Ross and Spencer Turnbull in that series.
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