A good day to be a kid: Phillies 7, Red Sox 5

The youngins’ doing some work

A beautiful day in Clearwater brought the Phillies a victory today, taking one from the Red Sox by a score of 7-5. Some notes from the game:

• Jesus Luzardo looked quite good on the mound in his two inning debut as a Phillie. The major acquisition for the pitching this offseason, Luzardo’s effectiveness this year could be the difference between the Phillies being a really good rotation and one that can reach the lofty heights set by the 2011 version.

• The kids are always going to be the ones that are trying to make an impression during spring training. They’re either looking to show that their development path is proceeding according to plan or they’re trying to make the roster, no matter the long shot it may be. Today, two of the young players that made an impression were Gabriel Rincones and Carson DeMartini. Rincones has been very good this spring training, homering twice so far. Today, it was a rocket RBI single that scored Justin Crawford in the sixth. For DeMartini, he’s a power prospect drafted this past year that looks like he might be a steal.

• Trea Turner has not looked good this spring at all. It’s nothing to be concerned about, of course, but someone will. Today wasn’t just his going 0 for 3, it was the swings that he took that didn’t look particularly encouraging. It’s a slow start, nothing more, but also something to keep an eye on.
• Michael Mercado. Yikes.
• Jean Cabrera? Yes sir. That’s the kind of pitching line (2 IP, 0 H, 4K) that shows the team has some decent starting pitching depth at the highest minor league level. We hope they don’t need it, but if they do, it’s nice to see outings like this.
• Koyo Aoyagi made his spring training debut. It is definitely a funky arm angle to be sure, and maybe there were some nerves at play, but you can definitely see where his struggles might come from. I’m hoping this guy can make an impression at some point in 2025.