Field Level Media
Apr 7, 2019
Rhys Hoskins hit a two-run home run and Zach Eflin allowed one run over seven innings to pick up his second win of the season and lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon.
Eflin, who pitched five shutout innings in his first start of the season on Tuesday, an 8-2 win at Washington, gave up six hits and no walks while striking out five. He has allowed nine hits and a walk over 12 innings this season while striking out 14 to go with a 0.75 ERA.
Hoskins also doubled and Bryce Harper walked twice as Philadelphia won despite finishing with just four hits. Hector Neris pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts of Jonathan Schoop and Nelson Cruz to pick up his first save.
Max Kepler homered and had two hits and Marwin Gonzalez also had two hits for Minnesota, which lost a series for the first time this season. Jose Berrios (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on just two hits and three walks over six innings while striking out seven. He was the first starting pitcher to go beyond five innings against the Phillies this season.
Kepler opened the game with a 407-foot home run to right-center on a 2-1 pitch to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. It was the third straight game that Kepler has homered and the first leadoff home run of his career.
The Twins had a chance to make it 2-0 in the fourth when Gonzalez singled to right, went to second on a groundout by Schoop and then tried to score on a sharp single to left by Ehire Adrianza but was thrown out at the plate by Andrew McCutchen.
The Phillies, who had managed just a second inning infield single by J.T. Realmuto, then took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on Hoskins' third homer of the season, driving in McCutchen, who led off the inning with a walk.
The game-winning home run came on a 3-2 curve and was the ninth pitch of the at-bat, barely clearing the fence and landing in the flower bed near the 374 sign in left-center.
--Field Level Media