Jerad Eickhoff, winless over 14 starts, thrives in return

A pitcher lacks complete control over his win-loss record, and that is something Jerad Eickhoff began to understand during his 14 starts without a win to begin this season. No Phillies starter had gone that long without a win since Matt Beech in 1997. Eickhoff, on a pitch count in Sunday's 7-1 triumph over San Diego, lasted just five innings.

And he emerged with a win.

"The season tests you a little bit," Eickhoff said. "You never know when that first one is going to come, and sometimes it's later than you'd like or than you want. But it was well worth it. It's awesome."

The Phillies were less concerned about their righthander's win-loss record and just pleased to see a pitcher who better resembled the consistent presence they came to expect in 2016. Eickhoff missed three starts with a back injury. He tossed five scoreless innings against the free-swinging Padres, with eight strikeouts and just one walk. The performance lowered his ERA to 4.63 in 81 2/3 innings.

It will boost his confidence for the second half, another test to learn about Eickhoff's future.

"He had a really good curveball," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "That's his pitch, and when he has that working for him and he can locate it, he's really good. That's what he did."

Eickhoff threw his curveball 25 times. Padres hitters whiffed seven times. That is a ratio that will breed success for Eickhoff. He said the movement of his pitches was "similar at times" to before the injury. Above all, he noticed more consistent quality.

"I honestly think the break allowed me to think a little bit more about my delivery and just reset and kind of get a clean slate," Eickhoff said. "And I think I was able to do that and focus on that today and things were going pretty well."

The winless stretch, Eickhoff said, did not weigh on him.

"I really don't think so," Eickhoff said. "I think the season as a whole has just been kind of focus on what I can control, more than any other season, I think. And I've tried to focus on that and execute pitches. That's all I can do. And to come out and do that today and get a win on top of it is a great feeling."

The Phillies will open the second half in Milwaukee with Nick Pivetta, Aaron Nola, and Jeremy Hellickson starting the first three games. Eickhoff will pitch the fourth game in Milwaukee or the next game in Miami. The fifth member of the rotation could be Vince Velasquez, who will make another rehab start sometime this week for high-A Clearwater.

Pat Neshek, who pitched another scoreless inning Sunday, began his season with 21 straight scoreless appearances at home. Jeff Calhoun was the only other Phillies reliever since at least 1913 with a streak as long. … Zach Eflin returned to the triple-A rotation Sunday and allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and no walks against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Eflin had not pitched at Lehigh Valley since June 2 because of an elbow injury.