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Zach Eflin's success has made his grueling rehabilitation worthwhile

The Phillies pitcher had operations on both knees last year, and the result is no pain and lots of gain.

Zach Eflin spent six weeks last year with his right leg immobilized in a bulky brace that ran from his thigh to his ankle. The Phillies pitcher finished his rookie season on crutches. He then had surgery on his left knee and wore a brace on his left leg for six more weeks. Eflin finally shed that leg brace just before Christmas.

He had felt discomfort in his knees while he pitched for as long as he could remember. The pair of knee surgeries, he hoped, would alleviate it. And it was afternoons like Sunday, when Eflin pitched seven strong innings in a 5-2 win over Atlanta, that made those braces worth it.

Eflin struck out three, walked none, and allowed just one run against the Braves. He threw 89 pitches, 61 of them strikes.

"It's amazing," Eflin said. "It really is a blessing. Just being able to go out there and focus on pitching and pitching only is honestly a blessing."

Eflin missed almost all of spring training as he continued to recover from surgery. He needed to build leg strength after being immobilized for nearly three months. He started the season in the minors but was quickly called back to the majors after Clay Buchholz went to the disabled list.

Eflin has thrived in his first two starts, allowing three earned runs in 12 innings. He had a shaky first inning in his season debut, which was expected in his return to the majors. Everything else has been excellent.

"Remember his first outing against Toronto last year? He was all over the place. Up in the zone and couldn't throw a quality strike," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Immediately thereafter he became a good pitcher, and the culmination of his year last year was that game in Pittsburgh where he was just unhittable. Today was similar to that. When he has that bowling-ball sinker working it's hard for a hitter not to worry about the inside part of the plate, which opens up the outer half."

Eflin pitched two complete games last season as a rookie. He showed promise before being shut down with a fractured foot and the two bad knees. It was worth wondering how much better he could be after surgery. The Phillies seem to be finding that out.

"It's a thrill for me to be able to look back and see how hard I worked then come out here, put up zeroes, and keep the game as close as possible," Eflin said. "It's really rewarding."

Extra bases

Joely Rodriguez earned his first career win after retiring the two batters he faced in the eighth. . . . The Phillies are off Monday before starting a three-game series Tuesday at home against Miami. Vince Velasquez, Aaron Nola, and Jeremy Hellickson will start for the Phillies. Wei-Yen Chen, Edinson Volquez, and Adam Conley will start for the Marlins. . . . The Phillies will have to make a roster move before Tuesday, when they are expected to add utility player Ty Kelly. Mark Leiter, who has not pitched since being promoted last week from triple A, appears to be the odd man out.