Blue Jays 9, Phillies 0: Vince Velasquez rushes through rough start

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Vince Velasquez said he did not feel antsy Sunday, but that he was a bit excited before starting a 9-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He said that caused him to feel rushed in a crucial start as the Phillies try to finalize their rotation.

Velasquez allowed three runs on two hits -- homers by Travis Shaw and Bo Bichette. He pitched just 2⅔ innings with three walks and three strikeouts. He remains in competition with Nick Pivetta and Ranger Suarez to be the fifth starter. The right-hander had pitched well this spring, utilizing his secondary pitches as he tries to rely less on his four-seam fastball.

But he never seemed comfortable on Sunday as he struggled to command both his fastball and secondary pitches. It was a double whammy, manager Joe Girardi said.

“I’m the one that generates the momentum of the game, so I need to learn how to take a whole minute off if I need to regroup,” Velasquez said. “Rather than just getting the ball back, taking a breather and getting back on, maybe I need to talk to myself a little bit and slow the game down and have the umpire tell me, ‘Hey, let’s go.’

"But those are different things that come into [play]. You have to learn how to control the momentum of the game, and that’s what I’m starting to do. But all of the other factors are included with your secondary pitches and trusting them for strikes.”

Velasquez, after simply chucking a large majority of fastballs the last four seasons, is learning this spring how to sequence his pitches. In his first two Grapefruit League outings, he used his curveball as his primary secondary pitch to set up his four-seam fastball. But that plan did not work Sunday. Velasquez said he should have instead relied more on his slider, which he later used to set up Randal Grichuk for a strikeout. But that would be the last batter Velasquez faced. By the time he made his adjustment, his day was already finished.

“There’s a lot of elements that go into this, but that’s what I’m starting to understand because I’m not going to have spectacular [stuff] every time,” Velasquez said. “I need to learn how to make those adjustments. I’m not going to have my best stuff every time, but I have to learn how to protect that fastball because that’s No. 1. But it’s just a matter of being smart. That’s what I’m starting to understand.”

The Phillies would like to decide on their fifth starter by the middle of the month, but that might not happen by then because none of the competitors seems to be separating from the pack.

Girardi said “they’ve all had starts that weren’t so great” and the competition is ongoing. The manager and his coaching staff will meet frequently over the next two weeks to try to decide a winner.

“You have to learn to take it as what it is and you have to build off of it. This is what spring training is for,” Velasquez said. “You have to learn how to critique your ways and find routines that will get you back into the zone. You’re not going to have the best outing every time, so you have to learn how to make those adjustments. That is a midgame adjustment that I’m still figuring out. Now I have to write that down in my mind and know that that pitch works and I know how to make that sequence.”

Jay Bruce has still not played the outfield, but it was an encouraging sign to see him play the field for the first time this spring. He played the first five innings at first base and expects to play left field later this week after their scheduled off-day on Wednesday. Bruce went 1-for-3 with a single.

Seranthony Dominguez retired each of the three batters he faced, moving another step closer to being ready for opening day. It was Dominguez’s second Grapefruit League outing, as he opened camp with restraints following last summer’s elbow injury.

The reliever faced three Toronto minor-leaguers and struck out two as his velocity hovered around 95 mph. The Phillies believe that there’s still time left in camp for Dominguez to build his velocity back to the 98 mph he is accustomed to throwing.

“The gun up there says 95, I don’t know how close that is but it looks like it came out pretty good,” Girardi said.

The competition for the final spots in the bullpen is just as clouded as the rotation race, but Bud Norris and Deolis Guerra did not help their cases on Sunday.

Norris, in camp on a minor-league deal, allowed three runs and three hits in the eighth inning. Alejandro Kirk, a 21-year-old catcher who played last year in high-A, hit a two-run homer off Norris. Guerra, on the 40-man roster after being claimed off waivers, walked a batter and hit another before escaping the seventh inning without any runs.

The Phillies claimed relievers — like Guerra and Reggie McClain — off waivers this winter and signed a cast of veterans — including Norris, Drew Storen, Anthony Swarzak, and Francisco Liriano — to minor-league deals, hoping one or two would show enough in camp to earn spots in the eight-man bullpen.

Dominguez, Jose Alvarez, Adam Morgan, and Hector Neris have spots secured. Victor Arano, if healthy, would be the fifth reliever. The losers of the rotation battle among Pivetta, Suarez, and Velasquez — either one or both — will be transitioned to the bullpen. That leaves just one or two spots to be claimed by the low-cost acquisitions the team made this offseason. Liriano, who has not allowed a hit or a run this spring in four innings, has been the most impressive so far.

Aaron Nola starts Monday against the Yankees in Clearwater. The game will be televised on NBCSP+ at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday’s game will also be televised when Zack Wheeler starts in Clearwater against the Twins. The Phillies are off on Wednesday.