Ty Blach has been a mild surprise for the Giants following Madison Bumgarner’s absence due to injury. Blach has picked up a win in each of his last three starts along with posting a 2.51 ERA in that span.
The lefty is fresh off taming Atlanta in a 6-3 home win on May 27, surrendering two earned runs on six hits in 7.2 innings of action. On the season, Blach is 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA and he’ll have a shot at bettering those numbers with a matchup with the struggling Phillies. Philadelphia has hit just .201 in the last seven days, second worst in the majors.
San Francisco has to find its offense too after getting swept in a recent three-game series with Washington in which the Giants were outscored, 12-4. Buster Posey’s among the few bright spots at the plate for the Giants with the catcher hitting .316 (6-for-19) in his last six games.
The Giants are 6-4 in their last 10 games against Philly.
The losing continues to pile up for the Phillies, who have dropped their fourth straight game Wednesday against Miami on the road, 10-2. The team’s pitching has been a daily comedy show, having given up 29 runs in their last four outings, including a three-game road sweep at the hand of the Marlins.
Jerad Eickhoff is part of that moribund pitching staff and tonight he’ll continue his search for his first of the season. He is 0-5 with a 4.74 ERA in 10 starts this year.
Eickhoff last took to the mound on May 27, giving up three earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings of a 4-3 home win over Cincinnati. He walked away with a no-decision, however.
While the Phillies’ bats have been lifeless lately, the Giants aren’t all that better either and Eickhoff could take advantage of San Francisco’s hitting struggles against southpaws. The Giants are batting just .231 opposite lefties and are 0-4 in their last four games against such starters.
Aaron Altherr leads the Phillies this season is batting average (.299), home runs (8), and RBI (28). He’s also hit 7-for-22 (.318) in his last six games.
