PHILADELPHIA _ It may be too small of a sample size to suggest that Zach Eflin has turned the corner, but one can't discount that the Phillies' 25-year-old right-hander has enjoyed a solid beginning to this season.
After earning a complete-game win in his last outing against Miami, Eflin went seven more strong innings Sunday in a 7-1 win over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.
With a fastball in the 92-94 mph range while pitching on a damp day when the game-time temperature was 57 degrees, Eflin allowed just one run on four hits, with five strikeouts and two walks in a 108-pitch effort.
He is now 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA after going 11-8 with a 4.36 ERA a year ago.
The Phillies (19-14) are heading for a six-game road trip to Missouri, with three in St. Louis and three in Kansas City, having won six of their last eight.
Washington (14-19), the preseason pick by many to win the NL East, is one banged-up team. Four starters from the Opening-Day lineup _ shortstop Trea Turner, third baseman Anthony Rendon, left fielder Juan Soto and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman _ are on the injured list.
Three of the starting eight position players entered Sunday's game hitting below .200. The Nationals have to hope they don't get too buried before the reinforcements return.
The Phillies took a 2-0 first-inning lead, scoring two unearned runs when Cesar Hernandez's two-out grounder went through the legs of first baseman Jake Noll.
Besides opening the scoring, the Phillies forced Anibal Sanchez to throw 44 pitches. Included in the inning was a 12-pitch walk to Rhys Hoskins.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki's fourth-inning solo home run, on a 1-1, 92-mph, two-seam fastball, cut the lead in half.
Sanchez settled down, but lasted only 4 2/3 innings, throwing 108 pitches but striking out nine and not allowing any runs after the first inning.
Still, the Phillies had to be licking their chops, with the chance to get to the beleaguered Washington bullpen so early. Washington entered the game with MLB's worst relief ERA (6.18).
In the sixth inning, the Nationals' bullpen misery continued as the Phillies scored five runs off left-hander Matt Grace.
One-out singles by Andrew Knapp and Maikel Franco put runners at the corners. Eflin then laid down a perfect safety-squeeze bunt that died before any Washington fielder could get to it, for an RBI single.
After a walk to Andrew McCutchen loaded the bases, the Phillies made it 4-1 when Jean Segura hit an RBI fielder's choice, just beating the throw to first base. That was followed by Bryce Harper's RBI single to right and Hoskins' two-run double to left, making it 7-1.
Harper has reached base in each of his eight games this season against his former team.
