When Zach Eflin left Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals after just two innings, he had allowed four earned runs on five hits, one of them a two-out, three-run home run to Nats superstar Juan Soto, and departed after throwing just 38 pitches. His early departure caught those of us watching by surprise but, as we found out after the game, was part of manager Rob Thomson’s plan all along in the wake of recent knee soreness, as noted by NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury.
Though he did not reveal it pregame, Thomson said he planned to limit Eflin to three innings Sunday.