Phillies Notebook: Phillies rookie Jerad Eickhoff making second start

CAMERON RUPP leaned on his left knee as he caught the final pitch of Jerad Eickhoff's major league debut, and then pumped his fist to celebrate the rookie's fifth strikeout.

Eickhoff emerged victorious in the first start of his career last Friday night, providing six innings of shutout ball and spurring the Phillies to a 7-1 win at Miami.

"It was a great feeling," Eickhoff said yesterday. "You never know how to prepare for it or look to it until it happens, and I think the preparation of being in the minor leagues and getting promoted to different levels then was kind of a starting point, I guess you could say, so it was really just a crazy moment."

His debut came three weeks after he was traded to Philadelphia from the Texas Rangers' organization along with four other prospects for Cole Hamels and reliever Jake Diekman.

The 25-year-old Evansville, Ind., native also contributed to the scoring, knocking a two-out, bases-loaded single through the infield to score two run in the fourth inning.

Interim manager Pete Mackanin said Eickhoff's high rate of activity on the basepaths had a lot to do with his exit following the sixth inning.

"The other night, it was interesting because I took him out of the game earlier than I thought I would even do it," Mackanin said. "I think the adrenaline rush of his first start that he's been looking forward to for so long, the fact that he was just totally focused, and the fact that he had to hit, which he probably has never done . . . [he] gets a hit and he has to run the bases.

"I think it all came together and he looked tired to me . . . he was soaking wet."

Eickhoff has been slotted into a young nucleus of starting pitchers, including Aaron Nola and Adam Morgan. He said he already has learned a great deal from his fellow rookies about adjusting to the major leagues and staying mentally tough.

Nola, in particular, was impressed by Eickhoff's poise in his debut.

"He's definitely a bright guy and after watching him in his debut in Miami, he has a lot of confidence on the mound, which is really cool to see," Nola said.

Mackanin has commended Eickhoff for his ability to pound the strike zone, and hopes to see him continue that pattern in his first start at Citizens Bank Park against the New York Mets tonight.

Eickhoff is sticking to his guns.

"There's a lot of good hitters, but it's not going to change how I approach them, and I'm going to go at them like I would anybody else," he said.

Adam Morgan struggled on Monday, allowing five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, but it was the bullpen that ultimately doomed the Phillies in a 16-7 loss to the National League East-leading Mets.

Relievers Hector Neris, Justin De Fratus and Adam Loewen combined to give up four home runs, 13 hits and 11 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work.

De Fratus had an especially rough outing, allowing seven hits and five earned runs in two innings. The 27-year-old righthander is sporting a 9.95 ERA in the month of August.

"That's not a good ERA for a relief pitcher and he's had multiple chances to whittle that thing down, and he hasn't pitched well lately, and numbers matter," Mackanin said. "It remains to be seen, at least from my perspective, where he fits in."