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Eflin extends slump as command still elusive
- Updated: August 9, 2016
LOS ANGELES — Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin has remained calm throughout his recent three-start skid.
Turning red is not his style.
But he knows he must improve. He allowed seven hits, seven runs, two walks and three home runs in just three innings Monday night in a 9-4 loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Chase Utley accounted for one of those runs when he hit a solo home run to right field in the second inning.
Eflin is 0-2 with a 13.85 ERA in his last three starts, allowing 22 hits, 20 earned runs, nine walks, six home runs and striking out five in 13 innings. He is the third Phillies starter to allow six or more earned runs in three consecutive starts since 2000. Sean O’Sullivan (’15) and Joe Blanton (’12) are the others.
“It could be mechanical, it could be mentally,” Eflin said about recently leaving pitches in the middle of the plate. “I’ve got to bear down and really execute the pitch. I haven’t been doing that and I’ve got to do a lot better job doing that.”
Eflin was 3-2 with a 2.08 ERA in seven starts before his recent slump, so his struggles have been a bit surprising.
“When he’s got it, he’s …
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