PHILADELPHIA -- Vince Velasquez finally completed the seventh inning of a start in 2017, a feat he's accomplished just four times in 30 starts with the Phillies. While the outcome, a 6-2 loss to the Nationals on Saturday night, was less than ideal, there were clear silver linings.
Velasquez looked as sharp as he has all season in the first three frames, striking out five of the 10 batters he faced. His pitch count was low. He hadn't topped 15 pitches in either of those first three innings.
"When you're locked in you manage to not even think about the pitches, the amount of pitches, or the inning," Velasquez said.