Eickhoff gives Phils another solid start

Not since Vince Velasquez struck out 16 batters on a memorable April afternoon had a Phillies pitcher thrown more than seven innings. Then, buoyed by enormous support Monday, Jerad Eickhoff made it look simple.

He threw strikes in an 8-2 rout of Atlanta. He pitched a career-high 72/3 innings with eight strikeouts. Afterward, catcher Cameron Rupp offered the highest of compliments for his pitcher.

"It seemed like," Rupp said, "we were on defense for 10 minutes."

Eickhoff allowed four hits. He recorded the first two outs of the eighth inning with ease, but the next two Braves reached, and Phillies manager Pete Mackanin determined that was enough.

"He's a bulldog," Mackanin said. "The guy goes out there to win, he works extremely hard to stay in shape and pays attention and just has a great demeanor on the mound."

Eickhoff's ERA is 3.30, the lowest among Phillies starters. The righthander has a 3.08 mark in his first 25 big-league starts, which bests Aaron Nola's 3.12 ERA in his first 25 starts before his recent hiccups.

Eickhoff has accumulated 18 quality starts - six innings with three or fewer earned runs - over his first 25 in the majors. That ties Robin Roberts and Art Mahaffey for most through the first 25 starts of a Phillies career.

"I feel good," Eickhoff said. "I feel good mechanically and mentally. I'm just going to try and stay right where I want - not too high and not too low."

The Phillies will need a starter for Thursday's series opener at Coors Field, but Mackanin said the decision was pending. It could be Adam Morgan or Brett Oberholtzer, but that would leave the bullpen short for a four-game set in hitter-friendly Denver.

"We'll know by Wednesday," Mackanin said. "Certainly, if we call somebody up to spot-start, he has to know. If we use somebody here ... it all depends on how I use the bullpen."

The Phillies are effectively playing with a 24-man roster because Aaron Nola was not optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley while the team skips him in the rotation.

The American and National League all-star teams will be announced at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and Odubel Herrera is the Phillies' best bet to be their representative at the game July 12 in San Diego. Two previous Rule 5 picks by the Phillies have been named to an all-star team - Dave Hollins (1993) and Shane Victorino (2009, 2011). ... The Phillies played at Citizens Bank Park on July 4 for the first time since 2009. Jamie Moyer started that game. His catcher was Paul Bako. The announced paid attendance for Monday's game was 19,064.