Enyel De Los Santos, making his Major League debut, tossed 6 1/3 innings while surrendering three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out six. The 22-year-old was optioned back to Triple-A following the effort but remains atop the organization's internal options should the need for a starter arise down the stretch. He'll represent the organization this weekend in the Futures Game.
“The job he did was tremendous,” manager Gabe Kapler told reporters afterward (see video). “He saved our bullpen. He put us in a good position for tomorrow and the rest of the first half.”
Maikel Franco led the offense, blasting a three-run shot in the second to set the tone in the Phillies favor. He finished the night with four RBIs and is hitting .368 over the past two weeks. He's hit in the eight-hole for the past eight games and has 11 hits to go along with a pair of home runs, three walks, and seven RBIs.
Despite the recent run of success, Franco isn't deaf to the trade rumors and the talk of his future in Philadelphia.
“All I can do is go out there and play the game the right way,” Franco told reporters. “If something like that happens, you have to stay positive. Nothing bothers me. Nothing changed. I just want to be me. I just want to try to do the best that I can. Right now, everything is going well.”
The Phillies and Mets conclude their four-game set Wednesday with Vince Velasquez opposing Jacob deGrom.
Velasquez was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday afternoon. The right-hander was sidelined after being hit by a line drive in the right arm back on July 1. He's 5-8 on the year with a 4.69 ERA.
Wednesday's Starting Lineup
Hernandez 4
Hoskins 7
Herrera 8
Santana 3
Williams 9
Kingery 6
Franco 5
Velasquez 1
Knapp 2
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