Phillies-Diamondbacks 5 Things: Phils Look to Sweep D-backs

Phillies (34-45) at Diamondbacks (36-44)
3:40 p.m. on CSN

With their 4-3 come-from-behind win on Tuesday night, the Phillies were able to secure their first series win since winning two of three against Miami on May 16-18. The Phils hope to keep their hot offense going as they go for their first sweep in over eight weeks. 

Here are five things to look out for in the series finale:

1. Eflin settling in
The Phils will turn the ball over to rookie Zach Eflin in the series finale against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon. Eflin, making just his fourth big-league start, seems to be settling in after a disastrous first outing against Toronto on June 14, giving up nine runs on nine hits in just 2 2/3 innings of work. Since then, the 22-year-old has given up just two earned runs in his last two starts, lowering his ERA to 6.28.

Eflin will be facing the Diamondbacks for the second time in 10 days, after giving up two runs on four hits in a 5-1 loss on June 19. 

One issue that has plagued Eflin thus far is his high pitch-count. Despite pitching well in his last two outings, Eflin has thrown 88 and 94 pitches, respectively, while not making it past the sixth inning in either of those starts. With a burnt out bullpen, it's important that Eflin is able to make it through at least six or seven innings. 

2. Can Phils solve Bradley?
Arizona will send right-hander Archie Bradley to the mound for the series finale, a rematch from the first series when Bradley opposed Eflin on June 19 at Citizens Bank Park. Bradley was virtually unhitable in what was one of his best starts of the season, giving up just four hits and one unearned run in six innings of work to lead the D-backs to a 5-1 victory. 

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At the time of that loss, the Phils were in the midst of what would be a nine-game losing streak, their longest such streak of the season, which included a four-game sweep by the Diamondbacks. This time, however, the Phils are one win away from closing in on a sweep of their own. 

3. Phils keep hitting
Not too long ago, it seemed as if the Phillies' offense was non-existent and the winning ways that the fans were used to were long gone. Since the Phils ended their nine-game skid with a 7-3 win over Minnesota on June 23, the offense has been on a tear. The Phillies have reached double-digit hits in five of their last six games, four of which have been wins. 

In this series alone, the Phils have amassed 27 hits in two games against the D-backs and look to add to that total today.

4. Burnt out bullpen
The Phillies hope Eflin can produce a quality start today in order to give the bullpen some much needed rest. In the past four games, Phillies starting pitchers have made it past the fifth inning just once, with relievers pitching 13 innings over those four games. 

A bright spot for the Phillies bullpen has been the addition of rookie Edubray Ramos, who has pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings since being called up from Triple-A. 

5. This and that

- Maikel Franco continues to dominate on the road. In 37 road games this season, Franco is hitting .304/.381/.587 with 10 homeruns and 28 RBIs.

- Jeanmar Gomez ranks fifth in the National League in saves after picking up his 21st save of the season last night. Look for Gomez to be a potential trade chip down the road if his success continues.

- The Phillies had gone 0-10-2 in their last 12 series' prior to last nights 4-3 win which secured them a series win against the D-backs. 

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