Phillies Pounds Braves, Lead Majors With .321 Batting Average Last 13 Games

BOX SCORE

Pete Mackanin opened his postgame news conference Monday evening by saying, “Well, I can’t complain about the offense anymore.”
 
No, for the time being at least, Mackanin can’t moan about what not long ago was the worst offense in the majors. That’s because the Phillies’ offense has been one of the best in the majors recently. Monday was no exception. The Phillies’ bats produced eight extra-base hits, including two homers, in a 8-2 Independence Day win over the Atlanta Braves (see Instant Replay).
 
The Phillies are 8-5 in their last 13 games. Over that span, they have reached double digits in hits 10 times, including Monday when they out-hit the Braves, 12-6.
 
Through June 20, the day they completed an 0-6 homestand in which they averaged 1.5 runs per game, the Phils ranked dead last in the majors in batting average (.225) and runs per game (3.11).
 
In the 13 games that have followed, they rank No. 1 in the majors with a .321 batting average and fourth overall in runs per game at 6.
 
What gives?
 
Cameron Rupp, who had an important double in the Phillies’ seven-run second inning on Monday, believes it all starts with confidence.
 
“Confidence breeds success,” he said. “When you’re struggling, it’s hard to have confidence up there, especially going against some of the veteran pitchers we’ve seen that have been in the big leagues for a long time versus a very young lineup. I think the confidence was a little down, but now it’s through the roof.”
 
Over the last 13 games, a stretch that started with three games against Minnesota's dreadful starting staff but included three against San Francisco's strong starting staff, the Phillies have raised their team batting average to .241, which ranks 25th in the majors.
 
Hot streaks by Peter Bourjos, Cody Asche, Cesar Hernandez and Rupp have fueled the charge. Obubel Herrera and Maikel Franco have made big contributions. They both hit two-run homers in the Phils’ big second inning on Monday.
 
Jerad Eickhoff was the beneficiary of all that offense. He became just the second Phillies’ starter this season to go beyond seven innings, scattering five hits and two runs over 7 2/3. Eickhoff walked three and struck out eight. He is 6-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 17 starts this season and has allowed more than two earned runs just once in his last seven starts.
 
“It seemed like we were on defense for 10 minutes,” said Rupp, marveling at Eickhoff’s quick innings.
 
Carlos Ruiz had caught Eickhoff’s previous five starts. Rupp got back behind the plate with Eickhoff in this game and the two seemed to mesh well.
 
Eickhoff, who joined the Phillies' organization a year ago this month from Texas in the Cole Hamels trade, has 18 quality starts (six or more innings pitched, three or fewer earned runs allowed) in his first 25 big-league starts. That’s as many as Hall of Famer Robin Roberts had. Eickhoff’s career ERA is 3.08. In other words, he’s been a terrific pickup. The Phils are 5-1 in his last six starts.
 
“He’s a bulldog,” Mackanin said. “He goes out there to win.”
 
Eickhoff’s recent success has been fueled on a commitment to using four pitches. Early in the season, he used mostly a fastball-curveball mix. Using his slider and changeup more has kept the hitters off balance.
 
Ironically, Eickhoff could focus on throwing a lot of fastballs Monday. That’s what happens when you get a big, early lead.
 
“It’s nice,” Eickhoff said of the 7-1 lead his mates gave him in the second. “But it comes with responsibility. I had to keep attacking hitters.”
 
The Phillies stroked six hits in the second inning against rookie Joel De La Cruz, who was making just his second big-league start. All of the hits were for extra bases – three doubles, a triple and the two-run homers by Herrera and Franco. De La Cruz allowed two more extra-base hits before his day was over. The Phils hadn’t had eight extra-base hits off a starting pitcher since May 26, 1933 when they got eight off Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean in a 14-inning game in St. Louis.
 
“He gave us a lot of pitches to hit and we took advantage of it,” Mackanin said of De La Cruz. “Over the first couple of months, even though we were winning games, we faced pitchers that I didn’t feel were pitching extremely well and we couldn’t get anything going, so this was nice to see. It’s just nice to see the guys continue to swing the bats well.”
 
For the last two weeks, no team in the majors has swung it better.
 
Go figure.