BOSTON - Jerad Eickhoff twisted so he could watch the 6-3 putout. It was a routine play in Monday night's 6-5 Phillies loss, but the last six weeks have forced the 26-year-old righthander to question everything. When Freddy Galvis' throw nestled into Tommy Joseph's glove, Eickhoff shouted into his black glove, loud enough for most at venerable Fenway Park to hear. He pumped his right arm.
He needed this.
So did the Phillies. But their malaise deepened to 20 games under .500 before the start of summer. The night was spoiled when Hanley Ramirez clubbed a slider from veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit over the green monster and onto Lansdowne Street.