Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin ready for return from injured list Friday against Reds
The right-hander missed his scheduled start Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a sore back.
SAN DIEGO — After missing his scheduled start Saturday because of a sore back, Zach Eflin will return to the mound Friday night when the Phillies open a homestand against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park.
“In my mind, the whole time I knew it was just a one-start thing,” Eflin said before the Phillies’ series finale against San Diego on Wednesday at Petco Park. “I didn’t do anything [on the field] for it to happen. I just woke up with tightness and soreness and it lasted about three or four days, and after that, I knew I was good to go.”
After a difficult West Coast trip, the Phillies need Eflin to create a momentum swing the other way with a strong start. The right-hander has mostly delivered in that regard so far this season, going 5-5 with a rotation-best 3.02 ERA in 11 starts.
“My start to the season has been exciting, but there is still a lot of work to do and a long way to go,” Eflin said. “I can’t get too high or too low with anything that happens. I’m just focused on every fifth day and not really worried about what I’ve already done, but with what I need to do.”
Eflin’s ERA is fourth best in the National League, and if he can maintain his current form, he will be a candidate for the all-star team.
“That’s not the goal on my mind right now,” he said. “I’m all about going out every fifth day and winning my start and being a good teammate and trying to do everything I can to help us make the playoffs.”
After joining the team on May 1 last season, Eflin also got off to a great start. Through 11 outings, he was 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA. Over his final 13 starts, however, Eflin went 4-6 with a 5.74 ERA. He feels he is better equipped to maintain his success in 2019.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I feel like I’ve ironed out a lot of kinks and I have really felt comfortable out on the mound. Part of that is trusting the catcher and trusting the coaching staff and the game plan we come up with, and then being able to execute pitches on the mound.”