Biddle, O'Sullivan headline first round of cuts

There were no real surprises when the Phillies announced their first round of cuts this morning. Pitching prospect Jesse Biddle will exit major league camp on a high note, having pitched two scoreless innings against the Rays on Friday. Joining him is righthander Sean O'Sullivan, who we can officially count out of the picture when it comes to filling Chad Billingsley's spot in the rotation for the first month of the season. Righthander Adam Morgan is also on his way to minor league camp. Morgan was a contender for the roster a couple of spring training ago but has lost much of the last two years to a shoulder injury. He has had a solid camp, but he needs to log regular innings to make up for lost time. Also on their way to minor league camp are OF Aaron Altherr, RHP Ethan Martin, and C John Hester. The Phillies also announced that they have released outfielder Xavier Paul. The Phillies now have 52 players in camp, including 17 non roster invitees. Of those 52 players, 26 are pitchers.

Cole Hamels starts today against the Orioles. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cody Asche and Darin Ruf are all in the lineup and batting consecutively from No. 3 to No. 7.