Saturday, March 19, 2016

2016 Topps Stickers #267 Ryan Howard

Phillies 15Pirates 12
Spring Training Game 19 - Friday Afternoon, March 18th in Clearwater
Record - 12-5-2

One Sentence Summary:  Led by a three-run home run from Maikel Franco and a grand slam from Ryan Howard, the offense exploded for a 15-12 win against the Pirates.

What It Means:  Franco's hot spring continued with his 7th home run, and he's now driven in 17 runs.  No one else has hit more than four home runs and his RBI total is four more than the next closest player.

What Happened:  Peter Bourjos and Cameron Rupp also homered, and Rupp's home run was one of his three hits.  The bullpen almost coughed up the lead, with both Severino Gonzalez and Dalier Hinojosa having rough outings.

Featured Card:  Howard had a three-hit game, including his fifth inning grand slam.  After a slow start, his average has crept up to a respectable .276.  While neither of my sons has shown any interest (yet) in the latest Topps Stickers album, I did manage to add a 2016 Topps Stickers Phillies team set to my collection.

Camp Head Count:  55 - 3 = 52 - Prior to the game, two of the franchise's top catching prospects were removed from the active roster as Andrew Knapp was reassigned to minor league camp and Jorge Alfaro was optioned to Reading.

Following the game, pitcher Jimmy Cordero was also optioned to Reading.  Cordero saw his first and last game action against the Pirates on Friday.  He allowed a run on two hits in 2/3 of an inning.

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