Phillies: Five things to know vs the Cincinnati Reds
Nothing is going right for the Phillies. Can they turn it around against the flailing Cincinnati Reds this weekend?
The Phillies lost their eighth straight series to the NL-leading Rockies this week. They were outscored 24-7, allowing eight runs in the first two games and seven in the third before eking out an extra-innings win in the last game of the series.
With this series loss, they are tied for the worst record in the league with the Marlins at 16-29. They are 2-8 in their last ten games and 4-17 in the month of May. While Thursday’s win gave the team a high note to end the series on, the Phillies are still wallowing in the depths of the baseball cellar.
Philadelphia squares up against the Reds this weekend, who are 22-24 this season with a 3-7 record in their last ten games. The last time the two teams met, the Phils won on Opening Day before the Reds took two wins of their own to end the series.
Here are five things to watch for in this weekend’s Phillies-Reds series.
Howie Kendrick’s imminent return to the lineup
One of the Phillies biggest acquisitions of the offseason has been largely forgotten by the fan base thanks to an oblique injury. Left fielder Howie Kendrick was cruising through the first 10 games of the season before a diving catch landed him on ice.
Now after missing 34 games with the injury, the veteran is due to return after a four-game rehab stint in Lehigh Valley. Where Kendrick fits onto the depth chart is a question considering the emergence of Aaron Altherr in his absence.
Kendrick is getting time at three positions while rehabbing with the IronPigs: left field, first base, and third. The later will be more of an experiment with Maikel Franco struggling, as Kendrick has limited appearances at the hot corner in his career.
With Odubel Herrera striking out five times Thursday, expect the center fielder to get time off to reset mentally. That spells more time for Aaron Altherr in center field, thus opening a role for Kendrick in left.
What’s wrong with Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera?
No combination of three-four hitters in baseball has been colder than Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera, who are hitting a combined .223 this season.
Thought to be cornerstone pieces of the franchise both Franco and Herrera appear lost at the plate, swinging at anything thrown their way. Perhaps it’s a maturity issue, or maybe their game has been figured out by opposing pitchers.
Regardless the Phillies must invest as much as possible into getting these two youngsters on the right track. If that means benching them for a period fo time, so be it. Franco sat for two games against the Rockies, and probably could have taken another day off.
After striking out five times on Thursday, Herrera is all but assured a seat in the dugout when Cincinnati arrives Friday.
How’ll Aaron Nola look in his second start post-injury?
Philadelphia held their collective breathes on Sunday as first-round pick Aaron Nola returned from a back injury.
Somewhat surprisingly Nola mowed down Pirates hitters in a 1-0 loss in the cross-state rivalry series. Going seven innings the righty allowed only four hits while striking out five Pirates hitters.
Nola’s start against Cincinnati could be just as crucial towards the future of Nola, who has dealt with back and elbow issues in years past. If he can keep Reds hitters off-balance, and get run support, the righty could be on the way to his third win of the season.
Despite just two career starts against the Reds Nola has been dominant in both his outings, flashing a combined 1.29 ERA in 14 innings. He’s also collected 17 strikeouts in his two starts against Cincinnati, eight of which came in the second game of the season last year.
We’ll also see who catches for Nola, as Andrew Knapp has caught half of his starts this year.
How will Jeanmar Gomez pitch coming off the disabled list?
Jeanmar Gomez was activated from the disabled list Thursday after missing just over two weeks with an elbow impingement. He takes Adam Morgan’s place in the bullpen as Morgan was optioned yet again to Triple-A.
After spending some time away from the game, how will Gomez pitch returning from the disabled list? Prior to becoming injured, Gomez was struggling mightily. He had a 7.94 ERA with a 1.76 WHIP in nine outings. Gomez’s -0.3 fWAR is third-worst among all Phillies pitchers this year.
Gomez couldn’t cut it as the team’s closer, being taken out of the role after just three appearances this year. He will fall back into a middle reliever role now that he has returned. At this point, the team just needs someone to eat innings in the bullpen and that is what Gomez will do. Maybe that break being on the disabled list will allow him to change his fortunes this season.
Which Jerad Eickhoff is the real one?
Jerad Eickhoff has been puzzling this season to watch. In his first four starts of the season, Eickhoff had a 2.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 25.3% strikeout rate. In that span, he was the team’s second-best pitcher behind Jeremy Hellickson.
Since then, Eickhoff has given up four or more runs in four of his last five starts. Eickhoff allowed four runs on nine hits to the Rockies Monday, taking his fifth loss of the season. In May, Eickhoff has given up three more runs in nine fewer innings compared to April.
Last year, Eickhoff never gave up four or more runs in consecutive outings, while he has already done that this year in three straight starts. Eickhoff has been far less consistent on the mound, which is surprising considering how consistent he was in 2016.
Next: Five things from the Phillies-Rockies series
We continue to say that Eickhoff will be able to bounce back this season, but when will he? With an altogether inconsistent starting rotation, the Phillies need someone to set the pace, and the hope was that would be Eickhoff this season.