The Philadelphia Phillies won their first game since firing manager Joe Girardi and did it in convincing fashion, blowing out the Los Angeles Angels on Friday evening by a 10-0 final (box score). The Angels, conversely, extended their losing streak to nine games in a row as their rough stretch continued.
The Phillies were paced offensively by Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott. That trio combined for four home runs -- Harper and Schwarber launched two apiece -- and nine of the Phillies' 10 runs batted in. Harper alone was responsible for four of those runs batted in.
Philadelphia also received a strong performance from starting pitcher Zach Eflin. He lasted eight innings, allowing no runs on five hits and a walk. Eflin struck out six batters on 104 pitches. Eflin lowered his seasonal ERA from 4.60 to 3.88 with Friday night's performance.
The Phillies are now 23-29 on the season and 1-0 under interim skipper Rob Thomson, who had previously served as Girardi's bench coach.
On the Angels' side of the ledger, they had to lift rookie starter Chase Silseth in the second inning after he had surrendered four runs on four hits. Silseth, the Angels' 11th-round pick last summer, had previously made three starts and had allowed a total of five earned runs across 14 2/3 innings.
The Angels last won on May 24. At the time, they moved to 27-17. Friday's loss means the Angels are now 27-26, leaving them another loss away from being .500 or worse for the first time since April 15, or when they were 4-4.
The longest losing streak this Major League Baseball season still belongs to the Cincinnati Reds, who lost 11 games in a row from April 12 through April 23.
