June begins the way May ended for the Phillies: They lost
Starter Jerad Eickhoff was roughed up early as the Giants won the shutout, 10-0.
Before Friday's game with the visiting San Francisco Giants, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin expressed outward joy at getting the chance to flip the calendar.
The Phillies had gone 6-22 in May, their worst record during that month in 89 years, so Mackanin reasoned that anything had to be better.
"You know what I am happy about? May is gone," he said. "It's a brand new month. We start fresh."
Not so fast.
It turns out that the Phillies' first game in June didn't end any differently than their last four in May.
Starter Jerad Eickhoff was roughed up early as the Giants defeated the Phillies, 10-0, before 22,491 at Citizens Bank Park.
"I don't have a lot to say," Mackanin said afterward. "I am at a loss for words. Bad way to start the month.
"I felt everybody was refreshed with the day off [Thursday], starting the new month and putting everything behind us, and it was just a terrible night all around."
To make matters worse, the Giants (23-33) snapped a three-game losing streak in scoring their season-high run total. San Francisco entered the game last in the National League with 183 runs.
Eickhoff lasted only 22/3 innings. He was charged with five runs, four earned, on six hits and allowed five walks, including two free passes to opposing pitcher Ty Blach.
The Giants lefthander walked three times and struck out three times while throwing his first career complete game.
Eickhoff, on the other hand, labored, throwing 72 pitches, just 37 for strikes and saw his ERA rise to 5.13.
"I've never seen a team where a number of players, both pitchers and hitters, are basically in prolonged slumps," Mackanin said. "Eickhoff had poor command."
It was the shortest outing in Eickhoff's career.
"I think it was the fastball command just missing and falling behind," Eickhoff said.
The Giants scored their first run on an error by second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who tried to backhand a grounder by Brandon Belt that went under his glove. Denard Span, who tied a career high with five hits, scored on the play. Brandon Crawford's sacrifice fly made it 2-0. Eickhoff needed 28 pitches to get through that first inning.
San Francisco added two runs in the second on Eduardo Nunez's RBI single and Crawford's second sacrifice fly.
Eickhoff was pulled with two outs in the third after walking Nunez to load the bases. Mark Leiter then issued a bases loaded walk to Belt before striking out Buster Posey.
Austin Slater's first major-league hit, an RBI single off Joely Rodriguez, was the first run in the four-run sixth inning, and the rout was on.
The Phillies (17-35) have scored two runs or fewer for the 10th time in 12 games. They have lost 26 of their last 32 games.
Phillies starting pitchers are 0-8 with an 8.02 ERA in their 13 games at Citizens Bank Park.
Nothing seems to be working.
"It's tough," said catcher Cameron Rupp, who went 2 for 3. "We've got to turn the page and come to play tomorrow. That is the only way to look at it."
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