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Phillies notebook from Spring Training

For the fourth time in five games, the Phillies have scored fewer than three runs.

The Phillies' Ben Revere reacts to a called third strike during the fifth inning as the Phillies play the Detroit Tigers in Clearwater, Fla. on March 10, 2015. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)
The Phillies' Ben Revere reacts to a called third strike during the fifth inning as the Phillies play the Detroit Tigers in Clearwater, Fla. on March 10, 2015. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)Read more
    by Ryan Lawrence, Daily News Staff Writer
    Published 

Weak offense

With the M*A*S*H* list growing by the minute inside the clubhouse - Maikel Franco left early yesterday to have a root canal - it was easy to miss the fact that the Phillies had four hits to go alongside a goose egg on the home half of the scoreboard entering the ninth inning.

Non-roster first baseman Chris McGuiness singled in the ninth inning but the Phillies lost to Detroit, 6-0 at Bright House Field.

It marked the fourth time in the last five games the Phillies scored fewer than three runs. They haven't had more than six hits in any of those games.

After a week of Grapefruit League games, the Phillies have scored 20 runs in eight games (2.5 runs per game). They're hitting .213 (27th in baseball) with a .261 OBP (29th) and .273 slugging percentage (30th).

"We need to improve on that, show some improvement," manager Ryne Sandberg said when asked if he was concerned with the early spring results. "We had a lot of fly ball outs today, that's something we're addressing as far as staying on top of the ball. We have to put together hits and have some better quality at-bats as far as putting some hits together and putting some hits on the board to help us with some baserunners, to help us do something on the offensive side of things."

Following the game, Sandberg and former manager and current spring hitting instructor Charlie Manuel watched from behind a batting cage as four hitters took extra batting practice: Darin Ruf, Ben Revere, Cameron Rupp, Cesar Hernandez.

Catcher sidelined

Non-roster catcher John Hester had surgery to repair a meniscus tear. He is expected back in Clearwater today. Hester is expected to be sidelined for at least 6 weeks.

-Ryan Lawrence