Phillies look to Eflin for quick turnaround

By Nick Mandarano, Sports Talk Philly Staff  

NEW YORK — The Phillies, who have lost five of their last six games, will aim to rebound against the Mets on the road. In their last meeting, the Mets took the sweep. Tonight, however, the Phillies will look to Zach Eflin as they attempt to turn things around.

The Phillies pitching staff has struggled thus far. Philadelphia starters have accumulated a 4.50 ERA, which is the sixth highest in the Majors, so a strong showing from Eflin could potentially be enough to earn a more consistent role as a starter at the big league level. With the troubles seen from the back end of the Phillies' bullpen, a transition for Vince Velasquez from starter to reliever may be on the horizon, leaving an open spot in the rotation. 

The Mets are also struggling, currently on the heels of a three-game losing streak. They'll give the nod to Zack Wheeler, who picked up his first win in over two and a half years in his most recent start. The only Phillies hitters to have faced Wheeler in the past are Cesar Hernandez and Andres Blanco, both of whom are 1-2 against the righty.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

Zach Eflin — Age: 23;

• Last Start: August 8, 2016, at LAD: L, 3.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 SO
• Career vs. Mets: (0-1), 1 G, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 4.50 ERA

Making his first Major League start since the 2016 season, Zach Eflin will be starting in place of the injured Clay Buchholz, who is suffering from a partial tear of the right flexor pronator mass. In his only career start against the Mets, Eflin performed well, tossing six innings of five-hit ball. So far in 2017, Eflin has pitched in two minor league games, each featuring five shutout innings. 

Zack Wheeler — Age: 26;

• Last Start: April 12, 2017, at PHI: W, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 SO, 0 HR
• Career vs. Phillies: (3-1), 6 G, 36.0 IP, 30 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 34 SO, 4 HR, 3.25 ERA

In Zach Wheeler's last outing, he retired eleven Phillies hitters in a row. His first start of the season was less than impressive, as he allowed the Marlins to strike for five runs in only four innings. Today's game will only be Wheeler's third start since 2014, as he's been recovering from Tommy John surgery. This year, so far, opposing hitters are batting .400 against Wheeler's fastball and .556 against his sinker, while only hitting .083 against his slider and .000 against both his change-up and curveball.

Starting Lineups:

Broadcast Information:

• First pitch: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: CSN
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game Notes:

• The Phillies currently lead the majors  with 4.08 pitches per plate appearance (1,823 pitches, 447 PA).
• Since 2014, the Phillies have an 18-42 record against the Mets (.300 win %) and have been outscored, 347-218 (-129 run differential). For comparison, from 2007-2013, the Phillies were 68-59 against the Mets (.535) with a +35 run differential (589-554).
• The Mets will play without their closer, Jeurys Familia, available. He will return from his 15-game suspension in time for Thursday's series finale.

Standings:

What's Next:

• Wednesday, April 19, 2017: at New York Mets, 7:10 p.m.
• Citi Field
  
• RHP Vince Velasquez (0-2, 9.00 ERA) vs. RHP Robert Gsellman (0-1, 9.28 ERA)
• TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP.