Phillies-Dodgers 5 Things: Jerad Eickhoff Vies for His 3rd Straight Win

Phillies (56-65) vs. Dodgers (67-52)
7:05 p.m. on TCN

The final game of Chase Utley's homecoming takes place Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park. Jerad Eickhoff and the Phillies look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, who toss out Ross Stripling to the mound.

Here's five things to know for Thursday's first pitch.

1. Tough two weeks for the Phillies
Chase Utley's return to Philly may just be the start of a rough stretch for his former mates. The schedule remains tough for the next few weeks.

After completing their second series in 10 days with the National League West-leading Dodgers, the Phils remain at CBP for a series with another potential playoff team: the St. Louis Cardinals. With the Chicago Cubs running away with the NL Central and homefield advantage in the NL playoffs, the Cardinals are fighting for a wild card spot, a year after being in the Cubs' current position.

Injuries have hit the Cardinals hard, but their rock solid farm system has infused the major league roster with youthful talent, propelling the Cards to a recent run. They've won four straight on the road, two wins against the aforementioned Cubs and two vs. the Houston Astros. 

After the Cards come to town, the Phillies hit the road for a quick two-game set with the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox aren't playing nearly as well as their North Side brethren and the Phillies will likely avoid facing Sox ace Chris Sale.

But the Phillies then head to Citi Field to face the Mets. Despite injuries to their top starters and hitters, the Mets are still somehow within reach of a wild card spot. If New York wants to repeat 2015's run atop the NL, it'll need to start soon. 

The Phils cap off August with the first-place Washington Nationals. It'll be the second-to-last series between the two squads this season. The Phillies have lost six straight vs. the Nats since sweeping Washington on the road in April.

2. Third straight's the charm?
Jerad Eickhoff has won two consecutive starts for the first time since June 7 and 13. It's only the second time he's done so this season. So can he win three straight for the first time in his career?

Part of the reason Eickhoff has failed to win three straight starts, or even decisions, this season has been the offense behind him. The Phillies' hot streaks haven't tended to coincide with Eickhoff's starts. There have been five games this year where Eickhoff has allowed two earned runs or less and not picked up a win. Hence his 8-12 record despite a 3.82 ERA.

Luck may finally have turned for the 26-year-old righty. His last two starts haven't been stellar, yet he's picked up wins in both. Eickhoff allowed five runs (four earned) in six innings on Aug. 7 in San Diego, but the Phillies handed him six runs of support. His last start came on Aug. 13 vs. the Rockies and he was also handed six runs of support despite giving up three runs on 10 hits and two walks. 

Part of pitching is finding ways to win without your best stuff and Eickhoff certainly did that five days ago. He gave up two home runs to the Rockies and allowed 12 baserunners. He was constantly in trouble, yet Eickhoff wiggled out of harm's way and kept the Phils in the game. Not his best start, but certainly an admirable performance.

While the Rockies' formidable offense provided a strong test for Eickhoff, the Dodgers' offense may be even tougher to handle. However, Eickhoff finally is showing the ability to win without his best stuff after plenty of losses earlier this season with some of his best.

3. Next man up for the Dodgers
If everything was going to plan for Los Angeles, Ross Stripling would not be starting on Thursday in Philadelphia. But here we are and here he is. 

The Dodgers have the following starting pitchers on the disabled list: Clayton Kershaw, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Alex Wood, Bud Norris and Rich Hill. Norris and Hill didn't even start the year with the Dodgers and were acquired as replacements. Norris, who took Kershaw's spot, injured his back (he's coming back Friday) while Hill hasn't been able to make a start for the Dodgers thanks to a pesky blister. 

Ultimately, the Dodgers' disabled list could field a better rotation than most teams in the entire MLB, particularly with Kershaw dealing with a back injury.

Stripling was in the rotation to start the season, his rookie season, but he was merely meant to be a placeholder for someone like Ryu or McCarthy, both of whom started the year on the disabled list. However, both men came back and promptly were injured after making nine combined starts. Brett Anderson returned from the disabled list just to injure his left wrist one inning into his first start. 

So Stripling will make his 11th start and 15th appearance of the year for the Dodgers. Even Stripling has a recent injury history, as he is in his first full season post-Tommy John surgery. Who would have bet he'd be one of the few Dodgers starters to avoid the injury bug this year?

The 26-year-old rookie has been an average starter after a sublime debut. He threw 7 ⅓ no-hit innings in his MLB debut, but manager Dave Roberts removed him after 100 pitches because he was, after all, not far removed from arm surgery. He watched in dismay as the Dodgers' pen blew the no hitter and his two-run lead, losing in 10 innings.

For the season, Stripling has a 4.07 ERA and a 3-4 record. He lost to the Pirates last week while giving up five runs in seven innings. His start before that was solid, holding the Red Sox scoreless in five innings on Aug. 6.  

4. Players to watch
Phillies: Odubel Herrera seems to be coming around since riding the bench against a series of lefty starters the last few weeks. He has four hits in his last 12 at-bats and has at least one hit in last five starts.

Dodgers: Justin Turner has been a rock at third base for the Dodgers this season. He's smacked 22 home runs and has 69 RBI and is lighting it up in a contract year. Not bad for the free agent-to-be. 

5. This and that
• This will be both Stripling's first start vs. the Phillies and Eickhoff's first start vs. the Dodgers. Neither starter has faced any of the opposing batters before.

• The Dodgers have clinched the season series with the Phillies by winning four of their first five matchups. The Phillies last won the series in 2014 and lost five of seven in 2015.

• Chase Utley is 20th among qualified second basemen in OPS with a .717 mark. Cesar Hernandez is 16th at .743. Hernandez is seventh among second basemen with a .294 batting average while Utley is 21st with a .251 average.

• After winning the first two games of this series, the Dodgers are 29-28 on the road this season, the fifth best mark in the National League behind the Cubs, Nationals, Giants and Cardinals. The Phillies are 28-34 on the road and are one of just six teams in the NL with an under .500 mark at home with a 28-31 record.