Phillies’ leftfielder Pat Burrell jumped on Toronto’s lefthander John Parrish for a three run homer in the first inning. But the Phils bats again fell silent as Parrish settled down in the second and third innings and Toronto rallied for a 5-3 win to end spring training.

Phils’ lefty Jamie Moyer, pitching zeros for the first three innings, fell victim to a three run fourth inning, including a two run shot by Blue Jays’ second baseman Aaron Hill, his second homer in two games against the Phils.

Toronto added the lead run in the fifth inning and newly acquired relief pitcher Tom Leahy gave up an insurance fifth Toronto run on 4 hits in the sixth inning.

Leahy was followed by nonrostered minor leaguer Matt Childers who threw a hitless scoreless seventh for the Phils. Childers was followed by lefthander J.C. Romero who was awesome striking out the side in the eighth. Tom Gordon finished up for the Phillies giving up a hit and a walk in the ninth while striking out two.

Meanwhile, a parade of six Toronto relievers totally shut down the Phillies over the final six innings giving up but two hits while walking two and striking out nine.

Toronto’s lefthanded reliever Brian Tallet, who pitched a scoreless fourth inning, was awarded the win while starter Moyer took the loss.

And so spring training ends on a losing note. After shutting out the Yankees on a superb effort by Brett Myers, Adam Eaton got thumped and then Phils’ bats went into slumber mode over the last 23 innings scoring but 4 runs. It seems obvious to me that manager Manuel better have that team meeting before opening day and point to that sign on his office wall; the one which quotes the late Billy Martin, “It’s not a light bulb. You can’t turn it on and off.”

The season opens on Monday in Washington D.C. with an afternoon game as Brett Myers opens for the Phillies vs lefthander Matt Chico for the Nationals.

                                           “Play Ball!”

                          For Related blog posts, click;

       David Wright’s Tack? “Phillies the Team to Beat”

                          Opening Day, 2006

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Lefthander Cole Hamels had an effective outing after being touched for a second inning two-run homer by Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill. Hamels struck out three and gave up three runs on five hits in five innings of work.

But the Phillies offense fell silent in the chilly air of late March in Citizens Bank Park as Blue Jays’ young starter Randy Wells struck out slugging first baseman Ryan Howard on three pitches with runners on first and third in the first inning enroute to a 3-1 win over the Phils on Friday night. 

The AP recap for Yahoo sports notes;

Toronto manager John Gibbons was pleased to see starting pitcher Randy Wells go after Phillies slugger Ryan Howard…

“You’ve got to be able to do that to the top hitters, keep them off balance,” Gibbons said. “You also have to have the ability to do that, and Randy has that ability. It’s a good test to help him gain even more confidence.”

Pitching-wise, both bullpens were impressive, particularly the Phillies’ pen, and specifically Chad Durbin who tossed perfect two innings while striking out four Blue Jays.   Ryan Madson and Clay Condrey also pitched well as they both concluded solid springs.

MLB.com’s Joseph Santoliquito cites;

Wes Helms drove in the hosts’ lone run with a two-out RBI single in the ninth, scoring So Taguchi.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel announced before the game that Adam Eaton is the fifth starter entering the season, in essence claiming that he gained the slot by default as noone stepped up to take the role from him. 

Personally, I don’t understand Manuel’s reasoning. As I indicated previously, Chad Durbin showed far better than Eaton this spring and therefore merited the fifth spot.

But Charlie’s manager and I’m not.  Durbin remains on the roster in the bullpen to start the season.  So he’ll be available for insertion into the starting rotation should Eaton falter and show reversion to 2007’s 6.29 ERA form.

The Phils also announced that they claimed relief pitcher Tom Leahy off waivers from the Cubs, apparently as bullpen insurance to start the season.  To make room on the roster, they sent right-hander J.D. Durbin, infielder Ray Olmedo who hit well this spring, and outfielder Chris Snelling to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Two lefties go head-to-head on Saturday as Toronto’s John Parrish faces the Phils’ elder lefty Jamie Moyer at 1:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park in the spring training finale.

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               Bludgeoned!   

True to his 2007 season 6.29 ERA, Adam Eaton was awful once again, this time in 4 2/3 innings, as the Detroit Tigers notched a run each in the first, second and third innings, three in the fourth and one more in the fifth on eleven hits enroute to a 14-5 manhandling of the Phillies.

But the Phillies got two runs in the second inning and three more in the sixth, on third baseman Pedro Feliz’s fifth homer of the spring, as they drew to within two runs at 7-5 as relievers Clay Condrey and JC Romero continued to impress in holding the Tigers to a hit apiece through 2 1/3 innings.

However, Tom Gordon was bludgeoned in 1/3 inning for six eighth inning runs with unrostered veteran Jason Anderson mopping up for the final 2/3’s of the eighth and being charged with Detroit’s final run.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz, who has had a great spring, went two for four and scored a run and centerfielder Shane Victorino went two for four with a run scored and an RBI.

MLB.com’s Chris Girandola records Adam Eaton’s comments on his performance;

“I maybe stayed hard too much with cutters and fastballs,” said Eaton, who concluded the spring with a 7.41 ERA, allowing 14 runs over 17 innings. “You have to give them credit. They have a good lineup and they hit some pretty good pitches today.”

The right-hander, who gave up 11 hits and had only one strikeout on Thursday, allowed a run in each of the five innings he pitched. Over the first three frames, he allowed one run in each, including a solo homer to Placido Polanco, then surrendered three more runs in the fourth.

Eaton almost got out of the fifth inning, but an error on the throw by shortstop Eric Bruntlett on a double-play possibility allowed another Tigers run to score. Eaton was relieved by Clay Condrey, who retired the side on a first-pitch flyout by  Jacque Jones.

“I thought my stuff was just as good at the beginning as it was at the end,” said Eaton, who allowed a walk for the first time this spring. “I fell behind a lot of guys…”

The AP recap of the game for Yahoo sports notes;

Eaton is a candidate for the final spot in the Phillies rotation and said he wasn’t sure if he’d be making the trip north this week.

“I made some good pitches but I have no idea,” Eaton said. “If I am in Cincinnati next Saturday when it’s my turn to pitch, I will know I made the team.”

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was also noncommittal.

“I won’t know until we get there,” Manuel said. “Next Saturday is a long way off.”

Pesonally, I’d have to give my nod to Chad Durbin over Eaton head-to-head for the fifth starting rotation spot based on comparable records both last season and during this spring’s exhibitions.

Centerfielder Brandon Inge, who lost his third base job with the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera, went three for three with three RBIs, second baseman Placido Polanco and unrostered Clete Thomas homered for Detroit. Veteran lefthander Kenny “the Gambler” Rogers, he of the Pine Tar “dirt ball” episode in the 2006 World Series, allowed two runs and three hits in four innings and was credited with the win.

The Phils play their final two exhibition games against Toronto on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Sunday is an off-day followed by Monday afternoon’s opening game against the Washington Nationals in their new stadium, Nationals Park.

For a related blog post on Adam Eaton, click here.

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Just when Phillies fans started to get a little nervous after another set of shaky pitching performances by lefthander Cole Hamels and second year starter Kyle Kendrick, Brett Myers and young prospect Andrew Carpenter turned the New York Yankees hitters upside down, inside out, round ‘n round combining for a four hit 4-0 shutout.  

With just a four days and a few hours left before opening day,
Myers, who appears primed for a break-out season, closed down the Yankees totally.  He surrendered but two hits and walked two while striking out three in five innings in his final tune-up before his opening day start against the Washington Nationals on March 31.

Then Carpenter came on in the sixth inning and closed the Yanks down, for the remainder of the game, despite a ninth inning threat. 

The AP game recap for Yahoo sports notes;

Myers might have been trumped by a 22-year-old prospect who doesn’t even have a locker in the major league clubhouse.

Andrew Carpenter, who won 17 games at Class-A Clearwater last summer, was added as an extra man before the game and responded by pitching four scoreless innings of relief.

“He did very good. He had good command, he threw a good changeup and he located his fastball very good,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “He pitched with a purpose.”

Carpenter struck out the side in his second inning of work and escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the ninth with a foulout and two strikeouts. He allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out six.

The line of zeros in this game marked unquestionably the finest Phillies’ pitching performance of the spring.

Rightfielder Geoff Jenkins went 3 for 4, leftfielder Pat Burrell went 2 for 3 and shortstop Jimmy Rollins knocked in two runs as all of the Phils’ scoring took place in the second inning off of Yanks’ starter Chien-Ming Wang.  Wang, who was less than sharp in his final spring tune-up, went five innings giving up four runs on six hits. The Yanks’ bullpen then shut down the Phillies through the rest of the game.

The Phillies’ next face the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

For related previous blog posts about Brett Myers, click below;

Phillies: Exhibition Season Update

Lighter Side of Spring Training: Kendrick “Traded” to Japan

Phillies Win NL East With Win Over Nationals, Mets Lose to Florida

Masterful Complete Game for Myers, Utley, Burrell Homer, Phillies Beat Cubs

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Toronto Blue Jays’ third baseman Scott Rolen, who suffered through a left shoulder injury that required three operations while with the St. Louis Cardinals, is again sidelined and likely to miss opening day due to a multiple injury to his right middle finger while taking grounders on back field on Sunday morning. 

Rolen, whose playing weight has mushroomed from a normal 210 lbs to 240 lbs, was taking fielding practice when a hard ground ball hit him on the fingernail prior to the Blue Jays’ exhibition game against the Phillies.

The Yahoo sports recap of Sunday’s game, won by the Phillies by a 15-7 score, reports on the injury;

“It ripped his nail completely off his finger,” general manager J.P. Ricciardi said.

Rolen also broke the bone above the top knuckle on his right middle finger. It’s unclear how long he will be out.

“It’s a non-displaced fracture, which is the good news,” Ricciardi said.

“I’m not a doctor, but the early prognosis is it isn’t going to be six weeks, so I don’t even want to throw a schedule out there. Our best-case scenario is that it’s quick and our worst-case is it isn’t as long as most things we have had to deal with. My instinct is I am preparing for the worst-case scenario but I can say this, he won’t be lost for the year,” Ricciardi said.

It appears that sub Marco Scutaro will fill in at third base while Rolen is out.

Related blog post;   Trades, Free Agents and Arbitration

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For those who took a snooze when the Phillies record reached 5-12-1 in spring exhibition play, they’re waking up to find the red pin-stripers on a modest 3 game winning string.

During spring training, the old Lombardi adage; “Winning isn’t everything, its the ONLY thing,” doesn’t necessarily apply when evaluating talent before the start of the season.  The important things are the signs and building momentum towards opening day.  There are plenty of positive signs and, hopefully, the momentum will be there.

On Saturday, even though the Phils got blasted 11-2 by Minnesota, Adam Eaton, who is battling for the 5th starter spot, turned in his first decent outing of the spring pitching 3 shut out innings while giving up 5 hits.  Unfortunately, J.D. Durbin, Fabio Castro and prospect reliever Gary Knotts were all pounded hard and wasted Ryan Howard’s 4th homer of the spring.

On Sunday, the Phils came out hitterish, Brett Myers was excellent over 7 innings appearing in mid-season form and Ryan Madson put together another fine inning of relief with Travis Blackley closing it out as the Phils beat Cincinnati convincingly by a 6-2 score.

On Monday, Chad Durbin kept himself in the battle for 5th starter by pitching 4 1/3 fine innings, giving up a 2 run homer and then getting a double play to end the 5th inning as the Phils’ bats continued to ring, especially with a 5 run outburst in the 2nd inning.  The Phils kept their hitting shoes on as shortstop Jimmy Rollins, centerfielder Shane Victorino and 2nd baseman Chase Utley had 2 hits apiece and catcher Carlos Ruiz, who is having a scorching spring, got 3 hits in a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.  Relievers Clay Condrey,  J.C. Romero and prospect Vic Darensbourg were excellent in one inning stints while Tom Gordon gave up a 9th inning homer in recording his 1st exhibition save.

On Tuesday, the Phils got just enough offense, 4 runs on 4 hits, and Cole Hamels had his best performance of the spring pitching 6 innings of 1 run, 2 hit ball while striking out 7 as the Phillies nipped the Tampa Bay Rays by a 4-2 score.  Fabio Castro gave up the other run on a hit and two walks.  Knotts and Madson each had perfect innings to seal the win. 

Check out Phillies Nation for running stats on all of the Phillies during spring training.

The Phils face the Rays again with veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer on the mound on Wednesday.

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