ATLANTA _ Pitching coach Bob McClure walked to the mound on Tuesday night in what appeared to be simply a tactic to stall the game and allow the relievers time to warm up. Zach Eflin was in trouble and seemed to be at the end of his line after allowing the first three batters to reach and a run to score in the seventh inning of a 5-2 win over the Braves at SunTrust Park.
McClure and the infielders huddled for a brief chat before leaving Eflin as a pair of relievers hurried to get ready in the bullpen. And then Eflin, just as he looked ready to exit, found himself. The right-hander retired the next three batters to end the inning and preserve his strong return to the majors.
Eflin allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked one. Eflin relied on his fastball to induce weak contact and recorded nine groundouts. He pounded the bottom of the zone, mixing in his curveball, slider, and change-up. It was the way the Phillies told Eflin he needed to pitch when they dropped him to the minors in May after three humbling starts.
Eflin said then that he was not worried and knew what he needed to work on in the minor leagues. Eflin made one start at triple A and then was placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury. It surely was a trying stretch.
The Phillies finally summoned Eflin on Tuesday morning and perhaps he did know what he needed to work on. It was a promising start from a pitcher who has shown promise but has yet to string together consistency. He threw two complete games last season and started this season with a 2.81 ERA in five starts before faltering. Tuesday night earned him another turn in the rotation and the chance to prove himself.
Odubel Herrera homered in the fifth after he somehow connected on a pitch that was at his feet. Herrera pulled Julio Teheran's down-and-inside curveball 396 feet to right field. It was a blast. And it sure was unconventional. Herrera finished with three hits and two runs scored. He's batting .353 since July 1.
Herrera seems to haunt the Braves. He has hit safely in 15 straight games against Atlanta dating back to last September. It is the longest streak by a Phillies player against the Braves since Ryan Howard had a 19-game hitting streak that lasted from September 2007 to September 2008.
Nick Williams stroked an RBI double to center in the fourth. Five of his last eight hits have gone for extra bases. Williams then scored on a single by Eflin after the Braves elected to walk Cameron Rupp and face the pitcher with two outs.
The Braves played without shortstop Johan Camargo, who suffered a hyperextended right knee when he jogged onto the field to start the game. Camargo appeared to trip where the grass meets the dirt near first base. He was carried off the field and had an MRI exam scheduled for Tuesday night.
His replacement, Jace Peterson, came to the plate in the seventh after McClure left the mound. Eflin challenged Peterson with a fastball and he flew out to shallow center. The next two batters _ Ozzie Albies and Danny Santana _ went down without a fight, recording two outs on three pitches. Eflin's night was finished. But he ended it himself.
