Major League Baseball

Rockies-Phillies preview

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:51 p.m. ET

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PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, having ended a long drought his last time out, attempts to win his second straight start when Philadelphia hosts the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.

Eickhoff (7-12, 3.78 ERA) squares off against rookie left-hander Tyler Anderson (4-3, 3.04) in the second contest of a three-game series.

Eickhoff beat the San Diego Padres on Sunday, going six innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits while striking out five. He did not walk a batter.

It was his first victory since he beat the Atlanta Braves on July 4. In the next five starts, he went 0-3 with a 5.08 ERA. That includes his only career start to date against Colorado, an 8-3 defeat July 9 in which he gave up eight runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

He gave up two home runs in his victory over San Diego. One was a two-run shot by Ryan Schimpf in the sixth inning, allowed the Padres to tie the game. Eickhoff has an 11.57 ERA in the sixth inning this season.

"If you look at the line, it's tough to look at," Eickhoff told reporters afterward. "But I just tried to keep us in the game the best I could. It was a great team win."

Anderson has gone seven innings each of his last two starts, matching his career high. He was saddled with a no-decision in last out Monday versus Texas despite giving up one run on two hits while striking out five and walking three. The Rockies lost 4-3.

The 26-year-old owns the lowest ERA for a Rockies starter through 11 games in club history. His road ERA (3.06) is likewise respectable, but he is 0-2 in three starts away from Coors Field. Colorado has scored one run in those three starts.

Anderson beat the Phillies in his only previous start against them July 9. He went six innings in that 8-3 victory, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out six. He didn't walk a batter.

Philadelphia, averaging 6.1 runs per game in August, battered Jon Gray and four relievers in a 10-6 victory Friday night. Ryan Howard went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, and his fifth-inning grand slam off Gray -- a 457-foot shot into the Colorado bullpen in center field -- snapped a 3-3 tie.

It was the 14th career grand slam for Howard, who already held the club record in that category, and his 374th career homer. He is tied with Rocky Colavito for 76th on the all-time list.

Howard's big night coincided with the induction of the retired Jim Thome, once his mentor, into the club's Wall of Honor.

"It's something pretty special," Howard said. "I mean, you want to go out there and try to get the win on a special night like this. ... Being able to get something to hit and having it land on the other side of the fence is the bonus."