Rhys Hoskins gave the Phillies all the runs Zach Eflin needed to stay perfect in June.
Eflin continued to shine for Philadelphia with just four hits allowed over seven shutout innings
Chase Edmonds Color Rush Jersey , and Hoskins hit a three-run homer to help the Phillies beat the New York Yankees 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Eflin, acquired in the 2014 trade that sent fan favorite and former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers, won his fifth straight start and kept the surprising Phillies in the thick of the NL East race.
”You can see why they’re kind of excited about him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ”I thought he threw the ball really well and really was in command. He kind of shut us down. We were pretty quiet. Even when we’re not scoring runs, we’re mounting things. We really didn’t mount that much against him.”
Eflin (6-2) became the first Phillies pitcher to win five starts in a month (he had a 1.76 ERA in June) since Cole Hamels went 5-0 in May 2012. Eflin has turned into a stopper of sorts for Philly: He won his fourth game this month following a Phillies loss. Eflin walked two, struck out six and helped the Phillies avoid a three-game sweep before beginning a key four-game series against the division rival Washington Nationals. The Phillies trail the Atlanta Braves by 2 1/2 games, and the Nationals are 3 1/2 back.
”Being able to be healthy and to focus on pitching alone is probably the biggest thing,” Eflin said. ”Going in with a great game plan and two catchers who know how to call a great game is extremely beneficial. And doing that and putting the puzzle pieces together has been awesome.”
Eflin, who did not allow a homer over 30 2/3 innings in June, also at last got most of the 42,028 fans at packed Citizens Bank Park to root, root, root for the home team. Yankees fans swarmed the stadium for all three games of the series, and ”Let’s go Yankees!” chants boomed at first pitch.
By the time Searanthony Dominguez struck out Gleyber Torres to wrap up his fifth save
Calvin Ridley Color Rush Jersey , over two scoreless innings, Phillies fans were on their feet as Yankees fans trudged toward the exits.
Manager Gabe Kapler implored Phillies fans to pack CBP for the Nationals series.
”You need exposure to that because we expect to be in the playoffs many times in the coming years,” he said. ”These are young players that are going to be expected to perform under those conditions. It’s nice to have some exposure to that early in their careers.”
The Yankees, who have the best record in baseball at 52-26, sat slugging outfielder Aaron Judge for the series finale. Boone wanted to pair a day of rest with Thursday’s off day to keep Judge fresh when the team returns to the Bronx for a weekend set with Boston. The Yankees and Red Sox have been neck and neck atop the AL East, the only teams with a legitimate shot at the division title.
Luis Cessa (0-1) lasted only three innings in his first start for the Yankees since last Aug. 14 and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after taking the loss. The Phillies had two runners on and two outs in the second inning when Hoskins connected on an opposite-field shot to left for his 12th homer of the season. He hit his sixth home run in 17 games this June, and he has given the Phillies a lead with 11 of his homers.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka, on the 10-day DL since June 9 with strained left and right hamstrings, is set to throw again on Friday. The Yankees haven’t decided if Tanaka will make a rehab start or throw a simulated game.
Phillies: RHP Pat Neshek, out all season because of an injured right shoulder, is set to make his third rehab appearance on Friday. He’s pitched twice for Double-A Reading. … RHP Jerad Eickhoff (nerve) will throw a bullpen session on Thursday and head to Florida for more work. … RHP Luis Garcia (sore right wrist) will throw a bullpen session on Friday and could possibly be activated on Sunday. … RHP Edubray Ramos (right shoulder) will throw from flat ground on Thursday.
HOSKINS MILESTONES
Hoskins became the fastest Phillie to reach 30 career homers in games played (119), topping Chuck Klein (132) and Ryan Howard (134).
”My first thought was, `Wow.’ Any time you get mentioned in a sentence with either of those guys or anyone of their caliber is pretty humbling,” he said.
RELIEF ACE
Yankees reliever Giovanny Gallegos struck out a career-high six over three innings.
UP NEXT
Yankees: After a day off on Thursday
Josh Allen Color Rush Jersey , CC Sabathia (4-3, 3.18 ERA) takes the mound to open the three-game set against the Red Sox. Boone said Luis Severino, the majors’ first 12-game winner, will start on Sunday.
Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola (9-2, 2.58) opens the first of a four-game series against the Nationals.
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After muddling their way through the first two months of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are hitting their stride in June.
Joc Pederson, Max Muncy and Yasiel Puig homered off ageless wonder Bartolo Colon, and the defending NL champions broke loose for seven runs in the fourth inning to rout the last-place Texas Rangers 12-5 on Tuesday night and improve to 8-2 this month.
Los Angeles moved two games above .500 for the first time this season.
”Winning is contagious,” said Cody Bellinger, who reached base safely in four of five plate appearances. ”When you’re winning, everything comes together.”
The Dodgers pounded out 16 hits in taking their second straight game.
”We’re taking a lot of good swings,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Colon, the 45-year-old right-hander, has allowed 19 homers this season. He recorded his 2
Tremaine Edmunds Color Rush Jersey ,500th career strikeout against Muncy in the first.
Colon (3-4) got tagged for season highs in runs (eight) and hits (nine) over 3 1/3 innings after tossing at least five innings in 10 of 11 starts. He was trying to break a tie with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for most wins by a Dominican-born pitcher – they both have 243.
”They took advantage of me. They got heated up good,” Colon said through a translator. ”That’s what happened, so I couldn’t do (anything). They were very aggressive and I couldn’t hold them.”
The Rangers lost their season high-tying fifth in a row in their first visit to Dodger Stadium since 2015. They fell to 14-19 on the road, having lost four of their last five.
Texas manager Jeff Banister liked Colon’s velocity early on before watching it tail off.
”Couldn’t get the sinker where he wanted it to. It seemed like all pitches were getting hit pretty good,” he said. ”Fastball was elevated and couldn’t land the off-speed stuff down in the strike zone where he wanted to.”
Edward Paredes (1-0) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief.
Daniel Corcino pitched three innings for his first career save, but stumbled with two outs in the ninth when he allowed two runs. Jurickson Profar had an RBI single and Delino DeShields scored on a throwing error by Puig in right field.
Pederson’s two-run homer in the second – his seventh in eight games – gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead after Puig drove in their first run with a two-out double.
Pederson notched his fourth three-hit game of the season. He hit just one homer in the first 53 games, and now has seven in his last eight games since June 2.
”What I used to do in the past is worry about the results,” he said. ”Used to get real frustrated with not getting results. Instead, I’m just sticking to the process. I’ve been hitting some balls hard on the ground. Now I’m able to get some balls in the air and do some damage.”
Muncy hit his team-leading 13th homer, going deep in his fourth straight game, to make it 4-2 in the third. He made his first start of the season at second base.
The Dodgers batted around in the fourth, with Puig powering a two-run homer to get the scoring started. Chris Taylor added an RBI single and scored on an error by Profar at shortstop. Bellinger had an RBI double and Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run single in extending their lead to 11-2.
Muncy’s groundout in the fifth made it 12-3.
Caleb Ferguson allowed two runs and five hits in four innings during his second major league start for the Dodgers after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day. The left-hander struck out three and walked two.
Adrian Beltre had an RBI single for the Rangers, and Shin-Soo Choo homered leading off the fifth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: SS Elvis Andrus will be the designated hitter and play seven innings in the second game of a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Wednesday.
Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler went on the 10-day DL with a right rib microfracture, an injury sustained when he was hit by a 108 mph line drive by Colorado’s Trevor Story on May 21. … LHP Clayton Kershaw (lower back strain) threw a bullpen
DJ Moore Color Rush Jersey , and a simulated game will occur soon. ”He’s reassured me he feels great,” Roberts said. … LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (left groin strain) threw a bullpen.
HE SAID IT
”I had to face him and get hits off him when he was a lot better.” – Roberts on Colon.
STRUGGLING AGAINST LA
Colon has never fared well against the Dodgers. He is 2-7 with a 6.12 ERA in 11 career starts. He’s struck out 39 and walked 10. His eight runs were the most he’s allowed since June 5, 2017, when he gave up eight against the Phillies over 3 2/3 innings.
BELTRE AND ICHIRO
With two hits, Beltre tied Ichiro Suzuki for 21st place on the career list at 3,089.
UP NEXT
LHP Cole Hamels (3-6, 3.86 ERA) goes for the Rangers in the series finale, having allowed 17 home runs, second-most in the majors. RHP Kenta Maeda (4-4, 3.61) makes his first start since May 29 after being on the DL with a right hip strain. He’s never faced Texas.
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