Phillies at Braves
Howie Kendrick lost most of his first two months in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform to an oblique injury but, as they play the third of a four-game set at the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, the veteran is proving he is healthy and productive. The left fielder finished 3-for-4 as the Phillies pushed their winning streak to four games and improved to 5-0 against Atlanta this season with Tuesday’s 3-1 victory.
Kendrick is hitting .348 on the season and is 10-for-27 in seven games since coming off the disabled list - breaking up Atlanta starter Jaime Garcia’s perfect game with a solo homer in the fourth inning Tuesday. The Braves dropped to 10-14 at home after being limited to only seven hits in falling for the second game in a row against Philadelphia. Second baseman Brandon Phillips finished 2-for-4, recording his eighth multi-hit game in his past 16 starts. Center fielder Ender Inciarte recorded his 500th career hit with an eighth-inning single, and is hitting .400 in his past 10 games.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (0-6, 5.13 ERA) vs. Braves RH Mike Foltynewicz (3-5, 3.90)
Eickhoff seeks his first victory of the season and while he finished April with a 3.56 ERA, the 26-year-old has surrendered 22 earned runs in 29 1/3 innings across his past six outings while the league is hitting .339 against him in that span. He lasted a season-worst 2 2/3 innings in a 10-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on June 2, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits. Eickhoff held Atlanta to one run on two hits with seven strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision April 22.
Foltynewicz continues asserting himself as a long-term part of Atlanta’s rotation. He pitched seven innings of two-hit shutout ball Friday in Cincinnati, striking out 10 in a game the Braves bullpen blew in extra innings. The 25-year-old has posted a 3.21 ERA while going 3-1 in his past five starts - giving up one earned run or fewer three times - and limited the Phillies to one run on four hits with nine strikeouts in a no-decision April 23.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia CF Odubel Herrera recorded his seventh double in the past four games Tuesday, giving him nine RBIs in that span.
2. Phillies RHP Aaron Nola was the first Philadelphia starter this season to go more than seven innings, giving up one run on five hits with six strikeouts in eight frames Tuesday.
3. Atlanta placed the majors’ oldest player, 44-year-old RHP Bartolo Colon, on the disabled list Tuesday with a strained left oblique.