Brandon Marsh pain-free in return to lineup, Justin Crawford hits safely again in Phillies’ spring loss to Rays
Marsh went 1-for-3 with a strikeout, but most importantly, did not feel pain in his hand when he was swinging.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Phillies’ 3-1 Grapefruit League loss to the Rays on Tuesday afternoon was very much a spring training affair. Their defense was sloppy. Rafael Marchán failed to block a wild pitch in the first inning. He and shortstop Erick Brito made throwing errors, and Brandon Marsh misplayed a ball in right field.
But there were some positives — Marsh’s health among them. After suffering a minor hand injury while sliding during practice in late February, he returned to Grapefruit League play on Tuesday.
Marsh went 1-for-3 with a strikeout, but most importantly, did not feel pain in his hand when he was swinging.
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“It felt good,” Marsh said of his hand. “Today was great. Health-wise, felt good. Performance-wise, some a little bit better [than others], but the whole goal was to get through today without feeling it, and we did. So that’s perfect.”
Justin Crawford, who was playing in his sixth game of the spring, roped a hard-hit single to left field in the first inning that came off his bat at 100.2 mph. He’s slashing .316/.350/.474 in 19 at-bats.
Designated hitter José Rodríguez put the Phillies on the board with an RBI single to center field in the fifth. The Phillies combined for eight hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
Who stood out
Infielder Aroon Escobar showed some pop in the fifth, hitting a ground-rule double that traveled 328 feet and left his bat at 110 mph. It was Escobar’s second hit of the spring (and the hardest hit of the day).
On the mound
Right-handed pitcher Alan Rangel made the start. He threw 43 pitches in 1⅔ innings, 23 of which were strikes. He allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit with two walks.
Righty Jack Dallas entered in relief of Rangel and allowed one hit. Reliever Lou Trivino entered in the third, pitching one frame, allowing one unearned run on one hit with one walk.
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Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley, who would need to be added to the opening day roster or be placed on waivers, made his fourth appearance of the spring. He threw a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout, lowering his spring ERA to 2.25. Seth Johnson followed that with a 1-2-3 innings of his own in the fifth.
He returned for the sixth and retired his next two batters on a flyout and a strikeout before being replaced by Nolan Hoffman. Hoffman pitched 1⅓ innings and allowed two hits with one strikeout.
Andrew Walling pitched the eighth, recording three strikeouts with one hit.
Manager Rob Thomson was particularly impressed with the last four.
“Johnson has pitched extremely well his last two or three times out,” Thomson said. “Hoffman has been good throughout. It was good to see McCambley using the cutter and the slider and throwing strikes.
“And Walling had a rough outing his last time out and bounced back and really threw the ball well.”
On deck
The Phillies will play an exhibition game against Team Canada at BayCare Ballpark on Wednesday (1:05 p.m., NBCSP+).