Phillies Take Spring Training Win Behind Jerad Eickhoff Shutout

The Phillies clobbered the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, thanks to a promising start from Jerad Eickhoff.

The north east might be getting hit by a snow storm, but the Philadelphia Phillies were enjoying the sun and a huge win Tuesday afternoon. The Braves fell to the Phils 9-0, thanks to some early offense and a huge performance from Jerad Eickhoff.

Coming into his fourth start, Eickhoff looked shaky. He was 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA in eight innings pitched. With the Phillies rotation still in question, there was hope the second year starter would provide stability. He finally showed that potential against Atlanta.

He went five innings, giving up just three hits, one walk, and striking out five batters. The control on his curveball was a lot better than his last start, and he effectively used his fastball as a change of pace pitch. It’s not too often you see batters swing late on a 92 mile per hour fastball, but Eickhoff set up every pitch with a purpose.

He showed incredible confidence on his first-pitch curveball, but wasn’t as reliant on the off-speed pitch as often as we’ve seen in the past. He also had a quick pickoff move, taking away one of the few baserunners he gave up with ease.

When Eickhoff finds control, he’s a reliable middle of the rotation pitcher, but consistency is the most difficult thing to find in a young pitcher. Once he finds that, the sky is the limit for the 26-year old.

Of course, the pressure was off Eickhoff for most of the Tuesday spring training matchup. Tyler Goeddel got the Phillies offense going with a two-run triple before being knocked in by a RBI single from Cesar Hernandez. Goeddel has struggled immensely this spring training thus far, and with the outfield having much depth, the 24-year old must prove his worth.