Spring Training Game 15 - Bats Punish O's Pitching in Clearwater

Baltimore Orioles	2
Philadelphia Phillies	12

2024 Topps Philadelphia
Phillies #PHI-17

Spring Training Game 15

Sunday Afternoon, March 9

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 5-9-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense showed some pop in this 12-2 win over the Orioles in Clearwater.

What It Means:  Two weeks into spring training games being played, and I'm already looking forward to opening weekend at the end of the month.

What Happened:  The Phillies had home runs from Edmundo Sosa and prospect Aroon Escobar, who was being gushed over by the Phillies' TV broadcast team.  Escobar is 20 years old, doesn't yet have a photo on the MLB website and made a few fancy defensive plays at second base.  Bryce Harper added a two-run single in the third and three more Phillies runs scored in the sixth on an error and a pair of wild pitches.  Escobar's two-run home run in the seventh gave the Phillies an 8-2 lead.  They'd pile on four more runs in the eighth, capped by a two-run double from Garrett Stubbs.

Ranger Suarez got his first start of the spring, allowing a run in three innings of work.  Jose Alvarado continued to look fantastic, striking out a pair in a scoreless sixth inning.

Featured Card:  Escobar has yet to appear on any baseball cards, but I'm sure that will change soon.  In lieu of an Escobar card, here's Sosa's card from last year's Topps retail team set.

Camp Head Count:  57 - 1 = 56

Before the game, Austin Schulfer (rhp) was reassigned to minor league camp.

Spring Training Game 14 - Walker Impresses, Bohm Homers in Win

Toronto Blue Jays	4
Philadelphia Phillies	5

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club

Spring Training Game 14

Saturday Afternoon, March 8

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 5-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker looked solid in his start and Alec Bohm doubled and homered in this 5-4 win over the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  With clocks springing ahead this morning, and a spring-like vibe in the air right now, we're getting closer to meaningful baseball games.

What Happened:  Walker, seemingly a pitcher without a spot on the roster, pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing a solo home run, four hits overall and striking out three.  Nabil Crasmitt gave up a pair of Blue Jays runs before getting the final out of the game and recording a save.

The Phillies scored all their runs early.  Alec Bohm led off the second with a ground-rule double to deep center, followed by a single from Max Kepler.  Three straight RBI singles followed from J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott and Kyle Schwarber to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead.  Bohm led off the third with a solo home run, his third of the spring.  Brandon Marsh singled later in the inning to score Max Kepler, who had reached on a walk, giving the Phillies a 5-0 lead.

Featured Card:  Walker really didn't give me many opportunities to feature any of his cards last season.  Here's his card from the ballpark-exclusive Kids Club set, and I hope the Phillies produce these cards again in 2025.

Camp Head Count:  61 - 4 = 57

Prior to the game, Jean Cabrera (rhp) and Moises Chace (rhp) were optioned to Reading and Griff McGarry (rhp) was reassigned to minor league camp.  Following the game, Max Lazar (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

Spring Training Game 13 - Pirates Sink Phils in Bradenton

Philadelphia Phillies	2
Pittsburgh Pirates	3

2025 Topps #293

Spring Training Game 13

Friday Afternoon, March 7

LECOM Park - Bradenton, FL

Record - 4-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez looked good again, but Tyler Phillips struggled and the sluggish offense couldn't find any clutch hits in this 3-2 loss to the Pirates.

What It Means:  Missed this game entirely due to professional responsibilities, also known as work.

What Happened:  Sanchez struck out four and allowed a run on a pair of hits in his three innings.  Phillips dropped to 0-3 on the spring, which is tough to do given the Phillies have lost only eight games.  He gave up a pair of runs on two hits and three walks, raising his spring ERA to 10.13.

The offense was 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  Otto Kemp doubled home the game's first run in the second, scoring Garrett Stubbs who had walked.  Stubbs would double in the fourth.  Kody Clemens hit a solo home run in the sixth inning.

Featured Card:  Phillips has no minor league options remaining, so the Phillies either need to add him to their opening day roster or hope he passes through waivers unclaimed.  This is his rookie card from the 2025 Topps Series One flagship release.  I've said it before, but scans don't do this design justice.

Camp Head Count:  61

Spring Training Game 12 - Nola Sharp Against Rays

Tampa Bay Rays	5
Philadelphia Phillies	4

2024 Stadium Club #295

Spring Training Game 12

Thursday Afternoon, March 6

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 4-7-1

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola fed the Rays a steady diet of curve balls, pitching three shutout innings and striking out six, but the Phils coughed up the lead in the ninth, losing 5-4.

What It Means:  Honestly, I had stopped paying attention to this game with the Phillies up, 3-0, heading to the eighth inning so to see the final score was a little surprising.

What Happened:  Nola hasn't allowed a run in his two starts, striking out eight over five innings.  Jose Alvarado struck out the side in the fourth.  The bullpen trio of Joe Ross, Jordan Romano and Orion Kerkering followed, each pitching a shutout inning.  Joel Kuhnel ran into trouble in the ninth, and wasn't helped by a fielding error from shortstop Bryan Rincon.  Kuhnel gave up four unearned runs on a two-run home run, a single, a pair of walks and a wild pitch.

Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler hit back-to-back home runs for the Phillies in the fourth.

Featured Card:  I'm hoping for nothing but smiles for Nola in 2025, and he looks so much better now with shorter hair.

Camp Head Count:  61

Spring Training Game 11 - Phils Working on Some Stuff

Philadelphia Phillies	7
Detroit Tigers	17

1982 Donruss #459

Spring Training Game 11

Wednesday Afternoon, March 5

Joker Marchant Stadium - Lakeland, FL

Record - 4-6-1

One Sentence Summary:  Yikes.

What It Means:  And I thought the 12-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday was bad!

What Happened:  Toiling away at my chosen profession on Wednesday afternoon, I couldn't help but notice the many, many alerts coming through my phone for the Phillies-Tigers game.  Turns out none of them were good.  After an 82-minute rain delay, Jesus Luzardo was creamed in his outing, allowing three home runs and departing with the Tigers up by a score of 6-0.  Six more Tigers runs scored in the third, courtesy of many walks and hits surrendered by Matt Strahm and Andrew Bechtold.  A lot more hits, including a pair of home runs from Tomas Nido, gave the Tigers 17 runs on the day.

Buddy Kennedy had a double and a sixth inning home run for the Phillies.  Christian Arroyo and Johan Rojas also homered.

Featured Card:  What the heck, here's a card of probably my favorite former Tigers and Phillies player, Johnny Wockenfuss.

Camp Head Count:  61

Spring Training Game 10 - Yanks Mash Phils

New York Yankees	12
Philadelphia Phillies	3

2020 Topps Heritage #654

Spring Training Game 10

Tuesday Afternoon, March 4

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 4-5-1

One Sentence Summary:  Not much good happened for the Phillies in this 12-3 spring loss to the Yankees in Clearwater.

What It Means:  Ten games into the spring schedule, and this is the first game for which I had absolutely no idea what was happening until it was over.  It looks as if I didn't miss much.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler was likely "working on some stuff" as he was hit early and often in his two-inning outing.  His final line - six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a pair of strikeouts.  Cody Stashak relieved Wheeler and was greeted rudely, allowing a three-run home run to Spencer Jones and a two-run home run to Paul Goldschmidt.  The Yankees scored seven runs in the third inning, and only two of those runs were earned as a result of costly errors from Cal Stevenson and Trea Turner.

Max Kepler hit his first home run of the spring in the second inning.

Featured Card:  Stashak is in camp with the minor league squad, and I was surprised to see he had pitched in parts of four seasons with the Twins between 2019 and 2022.  He showed up in a few Topps releases in 2020, and this is his card from the 2020 Topps Heritage set.

Camp Head Count:  66 - 5 = 61

The first five reassignments came prior to this game, with the following minor leaguers reassigned to minor league camp:  Justin Crawford (of), Tristan Garnett (lhp), Aidan Miller (inf), Carson Taylor (inf) and Caleb Ricketts (c).  

Spring Training Games 8 & 9 - Phils Split Squad, Split Day with Orioles and Jays

Baltimore Orioles	4
Philadelphia Phillies	5

Spring Training Game 8

Sunday Afternoon, March 2

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Philadelphia Phillies	4
Toronto Blue Jays	5

Spring Training Game 9

Sunday Afternoon, March 2

TD Ballpark - Dunedin, FL

Record - 4-4-1

2024 Topps Chrome Update
All Star Game #ASGC-13

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies walked it off in Clearwater and lost in Dunedin, in the first split squad action of the spring.

What It Means:  I honestly didn't realize it was a split squad day until I got an alert that Kody Clemens had hit a home run against the Blue Jays while I was very clearly watching the Phillies play the Orioles on TV.

What Happened:  In Dunedin, Taijuan Walker got the start and allowed a run (Daulton Varsho home run) and two hits in his first two innings of the spring.  Orion Kerkering got tagged with a blown save and Griff McGarry took the loss, with the two releivers allowing three Blue Jay runs in their combined 1 2/3 innings.  Clemens hit his first home run of the spring in the second, and Gabriel Rincones, Jr. connected for his third home run in the fifth.  In the sixth, Rafael Marchan doubled home Bryson Stott.

In Clearwater, Cristopher Sanchez departed after 2 2/3 innings and the bases loaded.  Up until that point, he had allowed a pair of hits and walked a batter while striking out five.  Gabe Mosser relieved Sanchez in the third and wasn't able to save Sanchez's line, giving up a two-run single.  A sloppy seventh inning, with errors committed by Bryan Rincon, Matt Kroon and Paul McIntosh, gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead.  In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Payton Henry walked, Rincon singled and McIntosh was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Kroon singled home two runs to give the Phillies the walk-off win.

Oscar Mercado hit a solo home run in the fifth, and Alec Bohm homered twice.

Featured Card:  Kroon had the big hit, but a two-home run day from Bohm deserves Featured Card status.  I just wish the slugging third baseman would think about a haircut.

Camp Head Count:  66

Spring Training Game 7 - Nola Sharp, Bats Missing in Lakeland

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Detroit Tigers	1

2023 Choice Arkansas
Travelers #4

Spring Training Game 7

Saturday Afternoon, March 1

Joker Marchant Stadium - Lakeland, FL

Record - 3-3-1

One Sentence Summary:  With all the regulars staying behind in Clearwater, a team of Phillies reserves and job seekers managed one single against Tigers' pitching in this 1-0 defeat.

What It Means:  At least the game was on the radio with Scott Franzke and Kevin Stocker broadcasting.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola continued a string of strong spring debuts from the Phillies' starting pitching staff, allowing a hit and striking out a pair in his two innings of work.  Tyler Phillips allowed the lone run of the game to score in the third inning.  Kyle Tyler pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out two.  Johan Rojas, the team's DH for this game, broke up the Tigers' no-hitter with a single with one out in the top of the sixth.

Featured Card:  Tyler has pitched in 15 big league games over three different seasons with the Angels, Padres and Marlins.  The righty was selected off waivers by the Phillies from the Marlins last August 11th, and was shaky in seven starts with the IronPigs the rest of the season - 1-2 with a 6.09 ERA.  Per the TCDB, he's got five minor league baseball cards to his name with nary an appearance yet in a mainstream release.

Camp Head Count:  66

Spring Training Game 6 - Luzardo Dazzles in Spring Debut

Boston Red Sox	5
Philadelphia Phillies	7

2021 Topps Heritage #160

Spring Training Game 6

Friday Afternoon, February 28

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 3-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies won, but the exciting take-away from this game was how dominant starter Jesus Luzardo looked in his two innings of work.

What It Means:  The sun was out for most of the afternoon, the weather is warming up, and I got to work with a Phillies game on in the background.  Not a bad day.

What Happened:  Luzardo made it look easy, throwing two perfect innings and striking out a pair.  14 of his 19 pitches thrown were strikes.  The other pitching highlight came courtesy of Jean Cabrera, who also threw two scoreless innings, striking out three.  The other eight Phillies pitchers used by manager Rob Thomson allowed a combined 13 walks, which isn't great.  Michael Mercado and Aaron Schulfer led the way with three walks each.

Bryce Harper went 2 for 3 in his return to the line-up.  Matt Kroon, Carson DeMartini and Carson Taylor all homered in the win.

Featured Card:  DeMartini's blast was particularly impression as it nearly cleared the center field berm, and the young prospect took a moment or two to enjoy his blast before heading to first.  He's in last year's Bowman Draft set, and I've not added any of his cards to my collection yet.  I was going to feature a DeMartini card, if I had had one, but instead Luzardo gets the nod for his impressive debut in red pinstripes.

Camp Head Count:  66