By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
ATLANTA — The Philadelphia Phillies (41-69) look to continue their success against rookie left-hander Sean Newcomb and the Atlanta Braves (51-60) Wednesday evening in the second of this two-game series at SunTrust Park.
The Phillies will turn to right-hander Jerad Eickhoff to keep their momentum against the Braves as they seek their sixth straight win against their division rivals. The two starters faced off on July 29. They each pitched five innings and neither got a decision.
Right-hander Zach Eflin earned his first win of the season Tuesday night, pitching seven innings and giving up two runs (both earned) on seven hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. Left-hander Hoby Milner pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing only one hit to earn a hold. Closer Héctor Neris struck out two on his way to a perfect ninth inning and his twelfth save of the season.
The Phillies have won their last two games and hold a 22-19 record in the National League East this season.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (41-69) | Atlanta Braves (51-60) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jerad Eickhoff | LHP | Sean Newcomb | ||
| (2-7, 4.56 ERA) | (1-6, 4.61 ERA) | ||||
Eickhoff Career vs. ATL : (2-2), 9 G, 50.0 IP, 36 H, 15 R, 11 ER, 13 BB, 38 SO, 1.98 ERA ;
- April: 5 GS, 0-2, 3.56 ERA, 30 1/3 IP, 28 SO, 11 BB, .235/.297/.383
- May: 5 GS, 0-3, 6.08 ERA, 26 2/3 IP, 23 SO, 8 BB, .325/.371/.491
- June: 4 GS, 0-2, 5.49 ERA, 19 2/3 IP, 14 SO, 11 BB, .291/.370/.468
- July: 4 GS, 2-0, 3.27 ERA, 22 IP, 25 SO, 10 BB, .235/.333/.395
- August: 1 GS, 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 6 IP, 5 SO, 4 BB, .150/.280/.350
Eickhoff, 27, posted a 5.40 ERA in his five starts prior to hitting the disabled list on June 20th with an upper back strain. In that time, he held an 18-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25 innings.
In his five starts since returning from the disabled list on July 9th, Eickhoff has posted a 3.54 ERA. Over that span, opposing batters are hitting .218/.322/.386 with four home runs. Since returning he has 30 strikeouts compared to 14 walks.
Going deep into games has been a struggle for Eickhoff this season, making it into the seventh inning only twice in his 19 starts this season (April 5th and April 10th). He has thrown over 90 pitches in each of his last four starts, pitching six innings in three of those starts, and five in the other.
Season Splits, By Month
Newcomb Career vs. PHI : (0-0), 1 G, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1.80 ERA
- June: 4 GS, 1-2, 1.48 ERA, 24 1/3 IP, 21 SO, 8 BB, .202/.265/.292
- July: 5 GS, 0-3, 7.61 ERA, 23 2/3 IP, 27 SO, 17 BB, .290/.412/.495
- August: 1 GS, 0-1, 5.79 ERA, 4 2/3 IP, 7 SO, 7 BB, .235/.458/.412
Newcomb, 24, was called up by the Braves for his first major league start on June 10th after going 3-3 in triple A with a 2.97 ERA in 11 starts. In his first four starts after being called up to the majors, Newcomb went 1-2, posting a 1.48 ERA and a 21-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opposing batters were held to a slash line of .202/.265/.292.
In his last six starts, the lefty has gone 0-4, posting a 7.31 ERA and a 34-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile, opposing batters are hitting .282/.420/.482. The Braves have lost each of the last 6 games that Newcomb has started.
Season Splits, By Month
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (41-69) | Atlanta Braves (51-60) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | César Hernández | S | 1 | CF | Ender Inciarte | L |
| 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 2 | 3B | Brandon Phillips | R |
| 3 | CF | Odúbel Herrera | L | 3 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | L |
| 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 4 | RF | Nick Markakis | L |
| 5 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 5 | C | Tyler Flowers | R |
| 6 | RF | Nick Williams | L | 6 | LF | Matt Adams | L |
| 7 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 7 | 2B | Ozzie Albies | S |
| 8 | LF | Cameron Perkins | R | 8 | SS | Dansby Swanson | R |
| 9 | P | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 9 | P | Sean Newcomb | L |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:35 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- The Phillies have won their last 5 games against the Braves. They are currently 10-2 against the division rival this season.
- The Phillies are averaging 4.85 runs scored per game in the 20 games since second baseman César Hernández has returned from the disabled list. In the 31 games he missed due to a left oblique strain, the Phillies averaged just 3.48 runs per game.
- Phillies center fielder Odúbel Herrera has hit safely in the last 11 games, hitting .372/.413/.628 over that span. Meanwhile, Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte has a 13 game hit streak of his own, which is currently tied for the longest active streak in the major leagues (Joey Votto). He is batting .276/.300/.310 over that stretch.
What’s Next:
- Thursday, August 10, 2017: vs. New York Mets, 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Jacob DeGrom (12-5, 3.36 ERA) vs. RHP Vince Velasquez (2-6, 4.82 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
