WASHINGTON _ It has been a little more than 13 months since the Phillies acquired Jerad Eickhoff, and the word that is used so often to describe the pitcher continues to be bulldog.
His triple-A manager labeled Eickhoff as one last summer before the right-hander joined the Phillies. His teammates have called him one, and manager Pete Mackanin is always quick to label him as one.
Eickhoff lived up to his billing on Saturday night as he gritted out six shutout innings in a 3-0 loss to Washington at Nationals Park. The pitcher worked himself out of some early trouble and retired the last seven batters he faced. He struck out five and walked two.
In a season in which the Phillies are shutting down young pitchers for the season, the 26-year-old Eickhoff stands alone. He and 29-year-old Jeremy Hellickson are the only pitchers still in the starting rotation from the unit that started the season. Eickhoff will stay in the rotation for the rest of the season as the Phillies have no plans to put a leash on their bulldog.
The game stayed scoreless until the eighth inning, when Patrick Schuster hung a curveball and Bryce Harper rocked it for a three-run homer to right field. It was the second straight loss delivered by the Phillies bullpen.
The Phillies did Eickhoff no favors. It was the 10th time they were shut out this season and the third time in a week. They did not record an extra-base hit until Andres Blanco doubled in the seventh. Odubel Herrera struck out twice and now has 56 strikeouts in his last 57 games. The Phils were predictably dominated by Max Scherzer, who struck out eight batters over 62/3 scoreless innings. Washington's bullpen proved to be no relief for the Phillies, allowing just one hit.
Saturday capped a three-day stretch in which the three pitching prospects acquired last summer for Cole Hamels started on consecutive days. The pitchers _ Eickhoff, Alec Asher, and Jake Thompson _ combined to allow just two runs in 171/3 innings. All three pitchers will be in the mix next spring for a starting rotation that could have seven candidates age 26 or younger.
Eickhoff _ who is guaranteed to claim one of those five roles _ struck out Harper three times on Saturday and allowed just one-extra base hit. The pitcher's biggest trouble came in the fourth, when Clint Robinson and Danny Espinosa reached base to put runners on first and second with one out. Jose Lobaton followed with a single up the middle, which Herrera scooped off the ground and fired home.
His throw skipped to the plate and was retrieved by Cameron Rupp, who made a sweeping tag on Robinson. The runner was out and an umpire's review confirmed it. Eickhoff ended the inning with a groundout from Scherzer.
The Phillies escaped damage, and two innings later, Eickhoff walked off the mound as his teammates waited to congratulate him in the dugout. He removed his cap and wiped the sweat off his brow. His night was finished and it was another chance for the pitcher to define what it means to be a bulldog.
