Phillies Notes: Dominic Brown exits with sore Achilles tendon

TAMPA, Fla. - Phillies rightfielder Domonic Brown was removed from Thursday night's 7-3 win over the New York Yankees with a sore left Achilles tendon and will see a doctor on Friday.

The pain caused Brown to be removed in the third inning. He said the injury has bothered him for two weeks.

"I'm definitely frustrated, for sure," Brown said. "It seemed like we were going in the right direction - it was getting a little bit better."

Brown went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts, dropping his spring average to .241. He was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with dehydration. Brown said he became dehydrated after "doubling up on inflammatories" to combat his injury.

Aaron Harang started against New York and allowed two runs on two hits in three innings. The righthander said his back, which has caused him to skip two starts, felt fine. Harang threw 37 pitches and then tossed 15 more in the bullpen. He believes he is on track to start the season.

"I'm not worried about it. It's nothing," Harang said. "I've felt really good the last few days."

Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez is slated to start Friday, when the Phillies play the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla. The righthander has pitched in three games, registering a 9.00 ERA with 12 hits in seven innings. He is competing for a spot in the back of the rotation. Gonzalez, 28, allowed a home run and at least two runs in each outing.

"A little bit more consistency and a good solid outing would go a long way," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He's shown a couple of innings, a three-inning stint of being solid, so [he needs to] just be consistent for a start and also continue to show improvement."

Jeff Francoeur hopes to be back in the lineup Saturday or Sunday, Sandberg said. The outfielder has been out of action since he was pulled before Saturday's game with soreness in his left oblique (abdominal) muscle.

"Him being a high-intensity guy, it might be tough for him to do, but he's going to have to manage a little bit in his first couple of games back by cutting down his swing a little bit and kind of ease into it to see where he's at," Sandberg said.

Sandberg said Chase Utley is getting closer to playing second base for the first time this spring. Thursday marked Utley's fifth game as a designated hitter. . . . Chad Billingsley will pitch in a minor-league game Saturday. The righthander is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.

- Matt Breen