MILWAUKEE _ Zach Eflin had already been hit hard on Sunday afternoon when he looked to left field in the fourth inning of a 9-1 loss to the Brewers and watched a fly ball smack off the wall.
The Brewers had Eflin for two homers before he followed the flight of the ball that soared to left field. But those home runs were hit by position players. The double off the wall _ which brought in a run _ came off the bat of the opposing pitcher.
For Eflin, it was that kind of day. And for the Phillies, it was the beginning of a listless afternoon that finished an inspiring road trip with a dud.
The first-pitch, two-out double hit by Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff would be the last pitch Eflin threw. Gabe Kapler, with a rested bullpen and a Monday's off-day looming, had the luxury to be aggressive. But it didn't matter. Woodruff not only hammered Eflin, but he handcuffed the Phillies.
Woodruff struck out 10 batters in eight innings. The Phillies lone baserunner came on a homer by Andrew Knapp to start the sixth inning. Woodruff retired the other 24 batters he faced. The Phillies scored at least six runs in three-straight games before screeching Sunday to a halt.
Odubel Herrera and Bryce Harper each struck out in all three of their plate appearances. Woodruff challenged Harper with high-90s fastballs and Harper failed to catch up. The Phillies finished 1 for 28 and struck out 12 times.
Kapler's aggressive managing led him to using Vince Velasquez for the second time in three days. Velasquez, a few days after learning he had been officially moved to the bullpen, was hammered for four runs on five hits in the fifth inning. He failed to finish the inning and was lifted after two outs. It was a much different experience than Friday's successful night in relief.
J.D. Hammer, who was promoted Saturday from triple A, made his major-league debut and retired Christian Yelich, Ryan Braun and Mike Moustakas. It was a good first impression and should be enough to keep him in the majors when the Phillies make a move Tuesday to add Nick Pivetta to the roster.
The Phillies finished the challenging seven-game road trip with four wins. They split a four-game series at Wrigley Field and took two of three from the Brewers. The road trip was promising enough for Jake Arrieta to say after Saturday's win that the Phillies had "showed the rest of baseball that we're one of the best teams." But it ended Sunday with a clunker. It was just that kind of day.
