Richard McCarthy
The Philadelphia Phillies continued Grapefruit League play on Thursday afternoon with an 8–5 victory in eight innings over the Toronto Blue Jays at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. The Phillies struck early and often, with all 8 runs scored in the first three innings, as they attempt to round into form for Opening Day.
Although the Phillies dominated the game, Toronto struck first. Catcher Tyler Heineman homered off of newly extended Jesus Luzardo, to put the Blue Jays up 1-0 at the conclusion of the first. This lead would not last. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm drove in shortstop Trea Turner in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
Luzardo blanked the Blue Jays in the second inning, before the turning point of the game. In the second, the Phillies’ offense managed to break through against Blue Jays starter CJ Van Eyk. After catcher Rafael Marchan hit a sacrifice fly, Turner delivered one of the biggest hits of the afternoon, ripping a double into left-center field that scored two runs and swung the momentum in Philadelphia’s favor for good.
The runs didn’t stop there. The Phillies added four more runs in the third inning. They capitalized on command issues from Van Eyk and reliever Angel Bastardo to take a dominant 8-1 lead. Van Eyk really struggled this afternoon, allowing six runs, four hits, and two walks in just 2⅓ innings of work. This wasn’t supposed to be Van Eyk’s start, as the Blue Jays originally planned for José Berríos to start. He was scratched due to elbow inflammation earlier in the day.
Toronto managed to mount a late push. The Blue Jays chipped away with a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings to narrow the deficit to 3 runs, but the scoring would be over for the day, for both teams. Outfielder and postseason hero Daulton Varsho drove in three runs and provided the primary offensive spark.
From there, the Phillies’ pitching settled in. Reliever and newcomer Zach Pop delivered a clean inning by playing to his strengths. He induced weak contact and kept the ball on the ground, and picked up a strikeout in the process. Pop’s sinker-heavy profile is intriguing, and with performances like today, he’s likely to earn an Opening Day spot in the bullpen.
Génesis Cabrera followed up Pop’s masterful 6th inning with an even better 7th. He completely blanked the Blue Jays, allowing no hits and walking none. Cabrera’s high-velocity fastball really popped today and gave hitters trouble.
Jonathan Hernandez had the pleasure of closing the game out. He allowed 2 hits, no runs, and struck out 1, earning the save.
The win moved the Phillies to 6–11–1 in Grapefruit League action, while the Blue Jays fell to 7–10–2 this spring. For Philadelphia, Thursday’s victory showcased a lineup capable of generating quick offense and a pitching staff that managed to hold off a late push.
As the final weeks of spring training approach, performances like this with timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and effective bullpen innings are exactly the type of tune-ups the Phillies hope will translate when the regular season begins.
