Phillies 4, Yankees 1: Darick Hall beats former Phils reliever with two-run double in the ninth

Darick Hall roped a two-run double in the ninth inning Friday night of a 4-1 win over the Yankees as the Phillies rallied after breaking up a rare Grapefruit League no-hitter.

The Phillies started a cast of regulars, but they were all checked out by the time Ronald Torreyes singled in the eighth for the team’s first hit. Andrew McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper, and Jean Segura each went 0-for-2 with a walk before being lifted.

The Phillies had just two hits, but walked nine times. They haven’t been no-hit in a spring game since 1993.

Hall’s big hit came against Reggie McClain, who started last season in the Phillies’ bullpen but pitched in just five games. McClain, on a minor-league deal with the Yankees, entered with two outs in the ninth and hit Mickey Moniak with a pitch before allowing the two-run double to Hall.

“He’s swung the bat really well in camp,” manager Joe Girardi said. “And he can really impact the baseball.”

Hall, 25, hit 20 homers in 2019 at double-A Reading with a .454 slugging percentage in 132 games. He’s exclusively played first base in the minors since being drafted in 2016 draft′s 14th round, but played left field this winter in Mexico. The Phillies have tried him there this spring. He should start the season in triple A.

How’s this for a recovery? Tony Watson retired three of the four batters he faced Friday night, including strike outs of DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge. The left-handed reliever allowed four hits on five runs on Tuesday while recording just one out. He’s in camp on a minor-league deal but will crack the roster with a strong spring. Tuesday didn’t do him any favors, but Friday was an impressive rebound. His fastball tops off in the low-90s and Judge and LeMahieu both went down swinging against it.

Enyel De Los Santos was impressive earlier this spring with increased velocity as his fastball touched 96. But it sat Friday night at 92 mph. He retired two of the three batters he faced, but will likely need to throw harder if he’s going to carve a role this season in the bullpen.

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Just like Watson recovered, so did Brandon Kintzler. The veteran reliever struck out the side in the sixth as he put away Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres. He was roughed up on Tuesday, but looked the part on Friday. Kintzler and Watson -- both veterans on minor-league deals -- remain favorites to win bullpen jobs.

“It just seemed like there was more life on their pitches,” Girardi said. “Kintzler had a really good slider tonight. Watson spotted his fastball extremely well and threw some really good change-ups elevated. They both looked really good.

“They’re making the decisions really hard and that’s a great thing.”

Odúbel Herrera had the stage to himself Friday night as the lone member of the center-field competition in the lineup. He went 0-for-3 and failed to separate himself from Scott Kingery or Roman Quinn. He flew out with the bases loaded in the first inning. Mickey Moniak, who remains an unlikely contender, came off the bench in the eighth and grounded out before being hit by a pitch in the ninth.

Adam Haseley is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a groin injury and could force his way back into the competition if he makes progress this week. Stay tuned.

It doesn’t sound like Iván Nova will make the team even if the starting rotation is thinned by injuries. But he pitched well on Friday, allowing one run on one hit in three innings. He walked three and struck out one. The Phillies would like to stash the veteran in Allentown as rotation depth but would like to avoid adding him to the 40-man roster before the season starts.

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The Phillies stay home in Clearwater on Saturday to host the Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m. Matt Moore will start and the game will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Philadelphia and WIP-FM.