Phils’ Eickhoff to play stopper against Brewers?
Philadelphia picked the worst possible time to careen out of control.
As other National League East clubs secure their footing for the summer, the Phils find themselves in the midst of a protracted losing streak. They’ll try to avoid falling two games below .500 when Milwaukee arrives in town tonight, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch at Citizens Bank Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI give the hosts the benefit of the doubt. The Brewers, however, represent +102 underdogs.
After a ridiculous April, things were bound to level off in the City of Brotherly Love. Pete Mackanin probably didn’t expect his offense and collection of arms to basically hit rock bottom at the same time, though. Lineup fixtures Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard battled .230 and .101, respectively, in May. Cleanup man Ryan Howard last belted a dinger at home on April 29. As for Philly’s once-vaunted rotation, it now holds the sixth-ranked ERA in the senior circuit.
Jerad Eickhoff (2-7, 4.07 ERA) strives to reverse the slide this evening, but his most recent outing went up in flames. The righty yielded four runs and eight hits in a weekend defeat at Wrigley Field. That performance followed an April 24 appearance in which he yielded a season-high seven runs to the Brew Crew.
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While Craig Counsell sends Chase Anderson (2-6, 5.00) to the bump, Milwaukee’s hopes revolve around the sticks. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been pivotal in the Brewers’ ability to snag seven straight in Philadelphia, going 13 for 28 over that span. Look for more of the same production in several hours, contributing to the Phillies’ seventh consecutive loss overall.
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