PHILADELPHIA _ Rhys Hoskins touched home plate Friday night, slapped Freddy Galvis' hand, and then punctuated yet another home run by shrugging his arms in the air. Hoskins _ just like everyone else in Citizens Bank Park _ appeared stunned by his incredible power surge.
Yes, there were high hopes for Hoskins when the Phillies promoted him earlier this month from Triple A. But no one, not even Hoskins, expected this. His two-run homer in the first inning of a 7-1 win over the Cubs was his ninth in 54 at-bats. Hoskins is the fastest player in MLB history to hit nine homers, and he has homered on six-straight game days. It has been quite the arrival.
Hoskins' blast was the start of six runs the Phillies would score over the first two innings, providing a generous cushion for Jerad Eickhoff. Cesar Hernandez hit a three-run triple in the second, and Freddy Galvis singled home Hernandez. Maikel Franco homered in the eighth. Eickhoff's lone run in five innings came off a first-inning homer by Kyle Schwarber. The right-hander struck out eight and walked three but struggled with velocity.
Eickhoff's fastball sat at an average speed of just 89.3 mph, the third-straight start it was slower than 90 mph. He shied away from his reliable curveball, throwing it less often than he did in 12 of his last 14 starts. But he made do, using the pitch for seven strikeouts, six of which were whiffs.
He walked Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo in succession to load the bases with two outs in the fifth. Eickhoff looked to be in trouble. He failed to break. The pitcher fooled Ian Happ with a curveball, escaping the threat and ending his night against the World Champions with a strikeout. It was a gritty performance by Eickhoff on a night when he didn't have his best stuff.
Hoby Milner and Adam Morgan continued their emergence as reliable left-handed relief options. The two seemed to find their footing together over the last few weeks. Milner, a rookie, pitched a scoreless sixth for his 12th straight scoreless appearance, a stretch that covers 10 innings. Morgan did not allow a run in the seventh or eighth and now has allowed just one earned run in his last 121/3 innings.
Hoskins had another chance to drive in a run in the fourth when Galvis reached third on a throwing error with two outs. Hoskins worked a 3-1 count, and then Galvis inexplicably broke for home. Cubs pitcher Jose Quintana threw home, which was recorded as ball four, and Galvis was caught in a run down.
It was a lost chance for Hoskins, but it was another example of his intense plate discipline as he made Quintana throw pitches. Hoskins is averaging 4.67 pitches per plate appearances through his first 68 plate appearances. The sample size is too small to qualify on baseball's leader boards, but the mark is higher than any other player in baseball. Hoskins had great discipline all through the minor leagues, but that would surely regress in the majors. It hasn't yet.
The Phillies have used this trying season to determine the players who can claim a role on the next contending team. Manager Pete Mackanin has often referred to the season as a tryout for "25 good men." The first five months yielded few answers. But the final five weeks may reveal that the Phillies have found the cornerstone of their future. Hoskins, in just three weeks, has been that impressive. Just don't ask him to explain it.
