Brandon Marsh makes spring debut in Phillies win over Tigers

Brandon Marsh played his first game of the spring on Wednesday as the Phillies beat the Tigers, 4-1. Aaron Nola pitched well and Whit Merrifield hit a solo home run.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the game:

The Good

– Brandon Marsh went hitless in two at-bats, but was happy to be back in action after spending a month rehabbing his left knee. “That felt great. The best 0 for 2 ever,” he told reporters after he was done. He tested his knee on the first play of the game, running full speed to catch a shallow fly ball, and it looked like he felt 100%. Rob Thomson said afterwards that he plans to give Marsh a couple DH at-bats on Thursday (after starting DH Kyle Schwarber exits the game), then rest Marsh completely on Friday.

– Aaron Nola looked sharp: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 62 pitches (45 strikes). He allowed a home run to ex-Phillies teammate Matt Vierling, but not much else. Thomson said Nola’s performance was outstanding. “One pitch leaked over the plate to Vierling. Other than that, he was in complete command. All of his pitches he was throwing for strikes, getting ahead, and putting people away. Getting a lot of soft contact. And that’s Nola.”

– The pitchers who followed Nola didn’t look bad either, combining for 4.1 shutout innings. Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto, in particular, impressed in their outings. (Combined line: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K.)

– Whit Merrifield continued to play well, hitting his second home run of the spring in the sixth inning to tie the game at one. He’s hitting .300 with a 1.150 OPS in 20 spring ABs.

The Bad

– Kyle Schwarber was a late scratch. He felt tightness in his groin in the weight room and the Phillies decided to play it safe. Schwarber is expected to play tomorrow.

– Other than Schwarber, all probable Phillies Opening Day starters were in the lineup. They didn’t show much offense, with just two hits in 20 at-bats. The two knocks were Merrifield’s home run and a Bryce Harper single. Reserves secured the Phils win with a three-run rally in the eighth.

The Ugly Other

– Nothing particularly ugly in this one. Let me leave you with some of Thomson’s postgame thoughts on Mick Abel, reassigned to minor league camp on Wednesday: “Every time I see him it seems like he’s getting better. He’s growing up, maturing, becoming a man. He’s poised. He’s very intelligent, knows how to go about his business . . . Can he help us this year? Possibly.”

“But for the future, he’s a guy,” continued Thompson. “We gotta build his innings. We’re just running out of innings here . . . We’re not afraid to put guys on the 40-man as long as you’re performing . . . He’s getting to the point now where he’s mature enough to handle this type of situation.”

Abel didn’t allow a baserunner in the 2.2 innings he pitched this spring, striking out four (including Yankees star Juan Soto on Tuesday).

The Phillies will play the Red Sox in Clearwater on Thursday afternoon.

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