Categories: 2019 Postgame Recaps

Eflin, Phillies cap off series with blowout loss to Brewers

Jean Segura produced two of the Phillies’ three runs today, but the offense as a whole continues to struggle (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire).

The Phillies came into the day having just lost their previous two games to the Milwaukee Brewers, and only scored a total of three runs in those games. Unfortunately, their offense continued to flounder as they could only muster three runs in an 11–3 loss to the Brewers. Zach Eflin took the mound in the loss, facing off against Zach Davies.

Just as the previous game, the Brewers struck first thanks to Christian Yelich. The right-fielder has been phenomenal this year, and he continued his success with his league-leading 17th home run, which gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.

However, that score wouldn’t last for long. For the second day in a row, Jean Segura hit a solo home run to give the Phillies their first run of the game. That would knot the game at one apiece. Segura is now hitting .312 on the year, in addition to four home runs:

In the top of the third, Davies led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, Ryan Braun drove in Davies with an RBI single, giving Milwaukee a 2-1 lead. That score would not last long, however. In the bottom of the third, Andrew McCutchen started things off with a walk. Following that, Bryce Harper was able to reach second thanks to errors by Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia. McCutchen advanced to third, and then was able to score on a grounder by Segura. Harper scored a play later on a sacrifice fly by Rhys Hoskins, making the score 3-2 Phillies.

In the top of the fourth, an Eric Thames double eventually led to a run for the Brewers thanks to an RBI single by Davies. Davies came into the day as a career .097 hitter. That would tie the game at three.

However, the Brewers would once again strike in the top of the fifth. Eflin hit Braun, who would eventually score on a Yasmani Grandal sacrifice fly. That would give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead.

The Phillies had a great opportunity to tie the game up in the bottom of the fifth. McCutchen started off the inning with a double, and Harper followed that up with a single of his own. That gave the Phillies runners on the corners with one out. However, Segura would ground into a double-play, ending the threat.

Adam Morgan came on in relief of Eflin, and looked like he would have an easy time in the sixth. But with two outs, Morgan hit Yelich. Yelich then stole second base, and Andrew Knapp’s throw sailed into the outfield. That allowed Yelich to reach third. With Ryan Braun at bat, a ball got away from Knapp, and Yelich decided to attempt to run home. However, Knapp made a solid throw to Morgan at the plate, and Yelich was tagged out for the third out of the inning, keeping the score at 4-3.

The game was blown wide open in the top of the seventh. After a single and HBP, Grandal sent one over the center field fence off of Serathony Dominguez. It was a three-run home run, his eighth of the season, and it gave the Brewers a commanding 7-3 lead.

The Brewers weren’t done yet. Yelich hit his second solo home run of the day in the top of the eighth, giving Milwaukee an 8-3 lead. In the same inning, Edgar Garcia allowed a walk with the bases loaded to give the Brewers their ninth run of the day. In the top of the ninth, Mike Moustakas got in on the action, hitting a two-run shot that would make the game 11-3.

The Phillies lost three of four to the Brewers, marking their first series loss since losing two of three to the Mets from April 22-24. With the loss, the Phillies fall to 24-19 on the season.

Shibe Vintage Sports Pitching Performance

Zach Eflin pitched five innings, striking out seven batters. He allowed four runs, seven hits, and two walks. Eflin’s ERA rose to 2.89 after the outing. Eflin threw 90 pitches, and 59 of those went for strikes.
Zach Davies, meanwhile, had a quality start. He pitched six innings, giving up three runs (one earned), one walk, and four hits while striking out five. At the plate, Davies was two for three with one RBI and one run.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Christian Yelich

Christian Yelich continues to play like an absolute monster, nabbing three hits in five at-bats. He had his 17th and 18th home runs of the season, collecting two RBIs as well. That gives him a league-leading 40 RBIs. He’s now hitting .342. Yelich also had a stolen base today.

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