By: Nick Mandarano, contributor 
PHILADELPHIA — Every game lately seems to be the same story – Can the Phils put an end to this horrid skid and get back on track? Early in the season, the offense was weak but the pitching carried the team to a 24-17 start. The offense is hitting .228 with a .282 OBP and have scored just 218 runs, all of which rank as the worst mark in the majors. Their 59 home runs are fourth-worst in the bigs as well. The offense hasn't exactly improved, but the pitching has certainly worsened.
Since May 20, Philadelphia has allowed more home runs than any team in the majors (49), including six last night. The Diamondbacks' home runs last night totaled 2,475 feet - almost half a mile! Over the last four games, the Phillies allowed 17 home runs, which is a franchise record. In 2016, the staff now ranks 24th in WHIP (1.47), 28th in BAA (.285), 28th in ERA (5.14), 30thth in OPS (.850), and 30th in SLG (.504).
So this afternoon, Phillies fans have been asking for a month – will today be the day the Phillies turn things back around?
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Arizona Diamondbacks (30-39) | Philadelphia Phillies (30-38) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Zack Greinke | RHP | Jerad Eickhoff | ||
| (9-3, 3.75 ERA) | (4-8, 3.40 ERA) | ||||
Zack Greinke — Age: 32;
- Last Appearance: June 13, 2016, vs. LAD: W, 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 HR
- Career vs. PHI: (6-1), 8 G, 50.1 IP, 36 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 9 BB, 51 SO, 6 HR, 2.68 ERA
Greinke has won his each of his last six starts with a 2.05 ERA over that stretch. In his last 12 starts, he's 9-1 with a 3.01 ERA. Against the Phillies, Greinke has won five consecutive starts. The last pitchers to win six straight starts against the Phillies were Tom Glavine and Jose Rijo (1990-92).
It was a rough start to the season for Greinke, beginning the season 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA. Since May 17, however, he ranks first in the National League in wins (6), ninth in WHIP (0.82), ninth in ERA (2.05) and ninth in BAA (.190). Greinke also leads in the National League in swing percentage on pitches outside the strikezone (37.6).
Jerad Eickhoff — Age: 25;
- Last Appearance: June 13, 2016, @ TOR: W, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 SO, 0 HR
- Career vs. ARI: N/A
It'd be an understatement to say watching the Phillies has been painful over the course of the last month. However, Jerad Eickhoff has been one of the few bright spots in a time of such distress. The Phillies have won just four of their last 21 games and Eickhoff has been responsible for two of them.
Eickhoff picked up a win against the Cubs and against the Blue Jays in his last two starts. In those games, he boasts a 0.69 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 13 innings. Tonight, Jerad Eickhoff will look to break his squad's four-game losing streak against the Diamondbacks for his third straight win.
Starting Lineups:
| Arizona Diamondbacks (30-39) | Philadelphia Phillies (30-38) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Jean Segura | R | 1 | LF | Cody Asche | L |
| 2 | CF | Michael Bourn | L | 2 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 3 | 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | R | 3 | 2B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 4 | 3B | Jake Lamb | L | 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 5 | LF | Peter O'Brien | R | 5 | RF | Jimmy Paredes | S |
| 6 | C | Welington Castillo | R | 6 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 7 | RF | Yasmany Tomás | R | 7 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R |
| 8 | P | Zack Greinke | R | 8 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 9 | SS | Nick Ahmed | R | 9 | P | Jerad Eickhoff | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 3:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Andres Blanco has 24 hits this season and 12 of them are for extra bases (9 2B, 3B, 2 HR, .446 SLG %) .
- Offensively, Zack Greinke is hitting .290 (9-for-31) this season. Since last year's All-Star Break, he's batting .305 (18-for-59) with two doubles, two homers and four RBI.
- Opposing hitters are hitting .106 (14-for-132) with a .326 OPS in 139 plate appearances against Jerad Eickhoff that have ended with a curve ball. FanGraphs ranks his curve as the second-best in the majors this season at 7.5 runs above average (best: Nola, 8.1).
What's Next:
- Saturday, June 19, 2016: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 1:35 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Archie Bradley (2-3, 5.66 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Eflin (0-1, 27.00 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
