Spring Tie

Two of the best teams of the 2016 Grapefruit League season met Friday night in Clearwater, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays battling to a 4-4 tie in front of a sellout crowd at Bright House Field. The Phillies might have been fortunate to escape with a tie in this contest, as the Blue Jays outhit the home team 9-6, but were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The game featured four home runs – two by each team – but was marred by four errors.

Maikel Franco (photo Buck Davidson)

The Phils got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning, courtesy of a solo homer by Maikel Franco, who is looking more like a budding star with each passing game. Toronto struck back in the top of the fourth, plating a pair of runs on a two-run shot by former Seminole High School star Casey Kotchman. The Blue Jays played long ball again to extend their lead in the top of the sixth, with Darrell Ceciliani doing the honors this time. The Jays tacked on another tally in the top of the seventh, but the Phils tied the game in the bottom of the frame when Peter Bourjos hit a two-run blast onto the roof of the tiki bar in left field and Freddy Galvis dashed home from second on an infield single by Cesar Hernandez.

Hellickson at the plate, swing and a miss (EDDIE MICHEL PHOTO)

Phillies starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is having a fine spring thus far, but his performance Friday did not live up to the lofty standard he has set in 2016. Hellickson had to work out of trouble in each of the first two innings, and he was the beneficiary of a spectacular leaping catch by center fielder Odubel Herrera, who robbed leadoff man Kevin Pillar of an extra-base hit in the first inning. Reliever David Hernandez, who is competing for the Philadelphia closer’s job, surrendered a double to Kotchman, but stranded him on second base. Bourjos contributed a pair of hits and his second homer to the Phillies cause, while Franco’s long ball was his eighth of the spring.

Marco Estrada (EDDIE MICHELS PHOTO)

Toronto starting pitcher Marco Estrada, who was making just his second appearance of the spring after a bout with back tightness, fanned six batters and walked two in his three and two-thirds of an inning of work. Estrada, who figures to be a key part of Toronto’s rotation again in 2016, found the strike zone with 39 of his 59 pitches on the night. Reliever Drew Storen, who figures to open the season as Toronto’s closer, worked an impressive 1-2-3 sixth inning. Offensively, Kotchman had three hits, two RBIs and scored a run, while Ceciliani had two hits, scored twice and knocked in one.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman (and Seminole High School alumnus) Casey Kotchman collected his first home run of the spring in Friday night’s game. (photo Buck Davidson)

The Phillies host the Detroit Tigers Saturday at 1:05 at Bright House Field, and then travel south to Fort Myers for a date with the Boston Red Sox on Easter Sunday.

Ryan Howard (right) just doing what he does best, just hanging out with Charlie Emanuel (EDDIE MICHELS PHOTO)

TORONTO (4) AT PHILADELPHIA (4)

 TORONTO 000 201 100 -- 4 
 PHILADELPHIA 001 000 300 -- 4

 TORONTO          AB  R  H BI  PHILADELPHIA     AB  R  H BI
 Pillar cf         4  0  0  0  C. Hernández 2b   4  0  1  1 
 Urena ss          1  0  0  0  Blanco ss         3  0  0  0 
 Donaldson 3b      3  0  2  0  Jackson ss        1  0  0  0 
 Fields pr-cf      1  1  0  0  Franco 3b         3  1  1  1 
 Tulowitzki ss     3  0  1  0  Ruf 1b            2  0  0  0 
 Barney 2b-3b      2  0  0  0  Burriss pr        0  0  0  0 
 Saunders lf       4  0  1  1  Moore c           0  0  0  0 
 Davis pr-lf       0  0  0  0  Herrera cf        2  0  0  0 
 Martin c          4  0  0  0  Sweeney cf        2  1  1  0 
 Jiménez c         0  0  0  0  Bourjos rf        4  1  2  2 
 Ceciliani rf-lf   3  2  2  1  Ruiz c            2  0  0  0 
 Kotchman 1b       4  1  3  2  Arencibia c-1b    2  0  0  0 
 Goins 2b-ss       3  0  0  0  Goeddel pr        0  0  0  0 
 Berti 2b          0  0  0  0  Lough lf          4  0  0  0 
 Estrada p         2  0  0  0  Hellickson p      1  0  0  0 
 Venditte p        0  0  0  0  Russell p         0  0  0  0 
 Alford ph         1  0  0  0  Howard ph         1  0  0  0 
 Storen p          0  0  0  0  Stumpf p          0  0  0  0 
 Cecil p           0  0  0  0  Mujica p          0  0  0  0 
 Delabar p         1  0  0  0  Galvis ph         1  1  1  0 
 Choate p          0  0  0  0  D. Hernandez p    0  0  0  0 
 Tepera p          0  0  0  0  Gómez p           0  0  0  0 
                               Hunter ph         1  0  0  0 
 TOTALS           36  4  9  4  TOTALS           33  4  6  4



 E--Mujica, C. Hernández, Berti, Martin. 
 DP--TORONTO 1, PHILADELPHIA 1. LOB--TORONTO 8, 
 PHILADELPHIA 5. 2B--Kotchman, Donaldson, 
 Tulowitzki. HR--Bourjos 1 (2) (off Cecil), Franco 
 1 (8) (off Estrada), Ceciliani 1 (3) (off Stumpf),
 Kotchman 1 (1) (off Hellickson). SB--C. Hernández 
 1 (6), Galvis 1 (1).
                                   IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
  TORONTO
 Estrada                        3 2-3   2   1   1   2   6   1
 Venditte                       1 1-3   0   0   0   0   1   0
 Storen                             1   0   0   0   0   0   0
 Cecil                            2-3   4   3   3   0   1   1
 Delabar                          2-3   0   0   0   1   2   0
 Choate                           2-3   0   0   0   0   0   0
 Tepera                             1   0   0   0   0   1   0
  PHILADELPHIA
 Hellickson                     4 2-3   4   2   2   3   4   1
 Russell                          1-3   0   0   0   0   1   0
 Stumpf                           2-3   2   1   1   0   1   1
 Mujica                         1 1-3   2   1   1   0   1   0
 D. Hernandez                       1   1   0   0   0   2   0
 Gómez                              1   0   0   0   0   1   0

 WP--Hellickson. SO--TOR: Martin 2, Estrada 2, 
 Saunders, Fields, Goins, Ceciliani, Delabar, 
 Tulowitzki. PHI: Herrera 2, Howard, Bourjos, 
 Jackson, Lough, C. Hernández, Ruf, Franco, Ruiz, 
 Hellickson. BB--TOR: Donaldson, Ceciliani, Goins. 
 PHI: Ruf 2, Franco. T--3:08. A--8,537.

EDDIE MICHELS PHOTO