TORONTO — Zach Eflin had a Phillies debut to forget, allowing nine runs (eight earned) in just 2 2/3 innings to the Blue Jays of an 11-3 loss on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays (36-31) led 3-0 through two innings and then put up a six-spot on Eflin in the third, knocking him from the game.
The Phils (30-35), who have dropped 14 of 18, broke Marcus Stroman’s shutout bid in the sixth on an RBI double from Jimmy Paredes.
Starting pitching report
Eflin (0-1, 27.01) struck out two and walked three over 2 2/3 innings. The right-hander threw 77 pitches, 48 for strikes, missing constantly up in the zone.
The eight earned runs allowed by Eflin are the most by a Phillies pitcher in his major-league debut since Russ Miller in 1927.
Stroman (6-2, 4.76) went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out six in the win.
MLB
Bullpen report
Brett Oberholtzer came on with two outs in the third and tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out two while allowing three hits.
At the plate
The Phils finally got to Stroman in the sixth as Peter Bourjos led off with a triple, which was mishandled by former Phillies outfielder Ezequiel Carrera in right field. Former Blue Jay Paredes followed it up with an RBI double scoring Bourjos.
Cesar Hernandez added to the offense in the sixth, taking Stroman’s 1-2 pitch yard for his second home run of the season.
Paredes led off the eighth with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and later scored on an Andres Blanco sacrifice fly.
Injury update
Phils third baseman Maikel Franco missed his second consecutive game with a mild right knee sprain. The 23-year-old suffered the injury on Sunday when during a rundown in a loss to the Washington Nationals. He remains day to day.
Franco is batting .252 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 60 games this season.
Up next
RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-4, 4.34) gets the ball on Wednesday as the two clubs move to Citizens Bank Park for a pair of games. RHP Marco Estrada (4-2, 2.57) pitches for the Blue Jays.
RHP Aaron Nola (5-5, 2.98) concludes the four-game set against LHP J.A. Happ (7-3, 3.70) on Thursday.
LHP Adam Morgan (1-5, 6.33) gets the ball on Friday as the Phils open a four-game series against LHP Robbie Ray (3-5, 4.57) and the Arizona Diamondbacks.