Eickhoff set for home season debut to face Padres

Jerad Eickhoff hopes to continue the streak of strong outings from the Phillies' starting staff.

Jerad Eickhoff is set to make his home season debut at Citizens Bank Park tonight as the Phillies resume their set with the Padres. The young hurler surrendered two runs over five innings on Friday in a loss to the Mets.

Thanks to a strong performance from Charlie Morton and another impressive outing from the relief corps, the Phillies downed the Padres 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Dating back to Saturday, the bullpen has tossed 10 2/3 innings without surrendering a run. A stark contrast considering the same group of pitchers surrendered 15 runs over the first 10 2/3 innings to open the season.

"They're feeling more confident out there," manager Pete Mackanin said of the bullpen. "Sometimes confidence takes time to build."

Today's Phillies Lineup
1. Cesar Hernandez, 4
2. Odubel Herrera, 8
3. Maikel Franco, 5
4. Ryan Howard, 3
5. Cameron Rupp, 2
6. Freddy Galvis, 6
7. Cedric Hunter, 7
8. Peter Bourjos, 9
9. Jerad Eickhoff, 1

Of Note
Odubel Herrera has an on-base percentage of .364 on the season and leads the National League with 4.85 pitches seen per plate appearance.

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BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com