We back up: Tigers 7, Phillies 6

Phillies kick off the rust in a spring opening loss in Lakeland

The Philadelphia Phillies opened their Spring Training schedule with a 7-6 road loss to the Detroit Tigers.

With only three and a half starters playing, as well as a few bench/bullpen candidates, the Phillies executed the main objectives of getting their feet wet and returning to Clearwater unscathed. Here are a few takeaways:

The Starters

Rob Thomson stacked the top of the lineup with the only projected regulars who saw action today. Johan Rojas led off the game and, while he did get the Phillies on the board with an RBI single off of Matt Manning in the third inning, he went down swinging in his first and third at-bats in a total of six pitches. Granted the Tigers’ opener, Kenta Maeda, and Manning are legit veterans and not just warm bodies.

Bryson Stott hit second, grounding out in the first inning and working a couple of walks in the third and fourth. Alec Bohm hit third, striking out in the first, reaching on an in-field single in the third and grounding into a fielder’s choice in the fourth.

Max Kepler made a good first impression with his new club, batting cleanup and collecting two RBI on a third inning single off of Timothy Naughton. He also struck out and walked.

Bench Candidates

Buddy Kennedy hit fifth and recorded the Phillies’ first home run of the spring, a two-run shot off of Matt Gage. With the news coming out post-game about Weston Wilson’s injury, Kennedy has a very good chance to break camp with the big club.

Rafael Marchan was behind the plate and batted sixth and went 0-2 with a walk. The buzz around the battle to backup JT Realmuto suggests that Garrett Stubbs would have to significantly outperform Marchan to keep his job, but Marchan left the door wide open after only one game.

Cal Stevenson manned centerfield and hit seventh. Down 0-2 in his first at bat, he tagged Manning for a leadoff double to open the third inning and scored the first run. He also walked and stole second to lead off the fourth. Stevenson and Kody Clemens are the only left-handed hitters in the mix for the bench, if you don’t count Brandon Marsh when/if they platoon him with Rojas, so he made a strong case today.

Organizational Depth

Of the non-roster invitees in camp, Christian Arroyo has by far the most big league experience and positional flexibility that’s enticing on paper. He subbed in for Stott and played second from the sixth inning on. He struck out in both of his at-bats.

Josh Breaux, an org. depth catcher, subbed in at DH for Rojas and announced his existence to the world with a home run in the sixth inning off of Chase Lee.

Other names that you’re likely to see in Lehigh Valley this summer that made an appearance today include infielders Rodolfo Castro, Otto Kemp and Rafael Lantigua, catchers Paul McIntosh and Carson Taylor, and outfielder Matt Kroon.

Pitching

The Phillies’ opener, Nabil Crismatt, is probably the only name that you need to know of the pitchers who took the mound today, unless things go horribly, horribly wrong. Crismatt went two innings of one-hit, scoreless ball with one punchout.

The 29 year old right hander has over 100 games of big league action under his belt and impressed enough in a small sample size with the Dodgers last season to convince the Phillies to invite him into the fold. A very outside but not impossible chance that he makes the bullpen or shuttles back and forth from Lehigh Valley at some point this season.

The other pitchers making appearances today were starter Alan Rangel and relievers Jose Cuas, Joel Kuhnel, Wesley Moore, Nicholas Padilla and Austin Schulfer. All are destined for AAA or other organizations come April.

Prospects

Three of the Phillies’ top 30 prospects made their spring debuts. Their #2 prospect (or #1B behind Andrew Painter, depending who you ask) Aidan Miller got two at-bats in, going 0-1 with a walk, and made a couple solid plays at short.

Outfielders Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones, Jr. subbed in at center and right, combining to go 0-3 at the plate.

All three are longshots to crack the big league lineup at all this season, with Miller the likeliest to get there first if he lights the world on fire before the All-Star break. Crawford and Rincones, Jr. are likely destined for at least another year in Reading.

Up Next

The Phillies will be back in Clearwater tomorrow to host the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05pm (and it’s on TV!) Tyler Phillips is scheduled to open the game opposite lefty, Cade Povich.