Vince Velasquez will remain in Phillies’ starting rotation

May the fourth (spot in the Phillies’ starting rotation) be with Vince Velasquez.

Two weeks after stepping in when the Phillies put lefty Matt Moore on the COVID-19 injury list, Velasquez will stay on turn and start Saturday night in Atlanta, manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday. It will mark Velasquez’s fourth consecutive start in place of Moore, who rejoined the team last week but had not yet gotten into a game entering play Tuesday night.

Velasquez allowed one run and retired the last 10 batters he faced in six solid innings of Monday night’s nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. After the game, Girardi was noncommittal about whether Velasquez or Moore would start Saturday night, but after sleeping on it, he said Velasquez “earned” the chance to continue starting.

“My job is to pitch. If it’s in the rotation or the bullpen, that’s Joe’s decision,” Velasquez said after Monday night’s game. “But when you have performances like this, it’s just going to kind of settle in and it’s going to marinate. At the end of the day all I can do is keep pitching. and that’s all I want to do. I want to help this team win.”

» READ MORE: Vince Velasquez goes six solid innings in Phillies' 4-3 nail-biting victory over Brewers

Velasquez, 28, fumbled his spot in the rotation several times over the last two seasons. His ERA has risen from 2.85 in 2018 to 4.91 in 2019 to 5.56 last year. But the Phillies tendered him a contract in November, agreed to pay him $4 million in his final season of arbitration eligibility, and chose not to trade him because they lack major-league-caliber rotation depth in triple A.

Although Velasquez made the opening-day roster as a long man in the bullpen, he said he “100 percent” wanted another opportunity to start. In three starts in place of Moore, he has posted a 3.77 ERA, allowed 14 hits and five walks, and struck out 15 batters in 14⅓ innings. Monday night marked only the 32nd time in 102 starts with the Phillies that he completed at least six innings and allowed less than four earned runs.

“You don’t ever anticipate that you’re going to go through a season with just five starters,” Girardi said. “You know you’re going to need more. Vinny threw another good game [Monday night].”

Bryce Harper was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game — and the fifth time in the last six games — because of a sore left wrist. He was injured last Wednesday night, when the 97-mph fastball that hit him in the face ricocheted off his wrist.

The Phillies remain optimistic that Harper won’t need to go on the 10-day injured list.

“Hopefully he just continues to get better each day and we get him out there soon,” Girardi said.

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Brad Miller started in Harper’s place. Odúbel Herrera, who started in right field Monday night, didn’t start for only the second time in nine games since getting called up last week. He’s 2-for-22 with one walk and five strikeouts.

“He hasn’t seen big-league pitching in two years, and I think it’s going to take some time,” Girardi said. “But he got a hit [Monday] night and that’s encouraging. Try to keep him going in the right direction.”

One day after being activated and picking up two hits against the Phillies, Brewers star right fielder Christian Yelich went back on the injured list with a lingering back problem. Yelich, who missed the last three weeks, “gutted out” Monday night’s game, manager Craig Counsell said on his pregame Zoom call. “That’s not a realistic way to go through the day,” he added. ... After throwing 40 pitches in a five-out save Monday night, closer Hector Neris was unavailable out of the bullpen. “Hector actually wanted to be the opener today. I told him no,” Girardi said, laughing. “Hector’s got quite a sense of humor.” ... The Phillies called up right-hander Enyel De Los Santos and optioned lefty Cristopher Sánchez to triple-A Lehigh Valley. De Los Santos, who was added to the 40-man roster, exhibited a spike in velocity in spring training and at the alternate site. ... Chase Anderson, who posted a 3.83 ERA in 118 games, including 112 starts, for for the Brewers from 2016 to 2019, will face his former team Wednesday night. He will be opposed by right-hander Freddy Peralta.

» READ MORE: Lack of starter depth results in roster spot for Vince Velasquez