Jerad Eickhoff Silences Blue Jays With Slider In 7-0 Phillies Win

Jerad Eickhoff (4-8) threw six shoutout innings Monday night in the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 7-0 win over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Jerad Eickhoff Silences Blue Jays With Slider In 7-0 Phillies Win

The Blue Jays scored 30 runs against the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game series that ended Sunday, earning 21 runs in two games over the weekend. On Monday, Toronto managed just three singles off Eickhoff.

“This past couple starts,” the 25-year-old right-hander said, “have been kind of an eye-opening transition.” Eickhoff now has a 3.40 ERA with the Phillies, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Eickhoff issued a career-high four walks, but threw several sliders that silenced the Blue Jays. He has used 104 sliders in his last four starts and on Monday, Toronto managed just one hit off him: a bloop single by Michael Saunders on a slider that ran in on his hands.

Philadelphia opened up a 4-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Ryan Howard led off the seventh with a solo shot that flew deep into right field, Peter Bourjos added a two-out RBI double and Odubel Herrera brought home his second run of the game with a single. Howard, who recently lost his first-base job to Tommy Joseph, started at designated hitter on Monday and hit his second home run since May 11.

“It’s nice to win by seven runs for a change,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

Toronto starting right-hander R.A. Dickey (4-3) allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings, including two homers. Bourjos’ RBI double came off right-hander Joe Biagini, who came on after Dickey walked Cody Asche. Aaron Loup in turn replaced Biagini and allowed an RBI single to Herrera.

“Today was kind of a letdown,” Dickey said. “I don’t think we played with a lot of energy today. We had a lot of games where lately we’ve been very invested against division opponents. It’s plausible that that would be the case. You play the Phillies, and they don’t have a winning record.”

Philadelphia scored three more off left-hander Scott Diamond in the ninth. Diamond, who was called up from triple-A Buffalo on Monday, made his first appearance for the Blue Jays on Monday. Cesar Hernandez hit an RBI double and Bourjos added a run-scoring single.

Right fielder Jose Bautista returned to the Blue Jays lineup after missing the previous three games due to tightness in his hip flexor. He had a single in the final of his four at-bats.

The 7-0 victory was the Phillies’ first shutout against an American League opponent since blanking Oakland, 3-0, on Sept. 20, 2014.

Toronto manager John Gibbons lost his challenge in the bottom of the eighth. The Blue Jays had runners on first and second with nobody out when Kevin Pillar hit a grounder to third. Philadelphia’s Andres Blanco stepped on third for the first out, and then threw across the diamond for a double play. Pillar felt he beat the throw to first and the Blue Jays decided to challenge, but following a review of one minute and 19 seconds, it was ruled that the call on the field stands.

The two teams will face off again in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon. Right-hander Zach Eflin, 22, is slated to make his Major League debut for Philadelphia. Eflin went 5-2 with a 2.90 ERA at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will become the fourth-youngest pitcher to start for the Phillies (30-34, 4th in NL East) since 2000.

Right-hander Marcus Stroman (5-2, 4.94 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays (35-31, 3rd in AL East), who snapped a three-game winning streak.

PHOTO: TORONTO, CANADA – JUNE 13: Jerad Eickhoff #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 13, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)