Clemens grand slam powers Phillies win

A Phillies player hit a grand slam to bring the team back from a 5-1 deficit for the second consecutive day on Sunday. Edmundo Sosa hit the slam on Saturday and Kody Clemens did the damage in this one. But unlike Saturday, the Phillies won, beating the Pirates 9-7 in Bradenton, FL.

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

The Good

• The lefty-batting Clemens is having a great spring through 17 at-bats, slashing .412/.524/.706. He’s also a versatile defender, with major league experience at every position other than center fielder and catcher. If you’re thinking about him as an alternative to Jake Cave, however, note that Clemens has a minor league option remaining and Cave does not. The Phillies will probably stash Roger Clemens’ son in AAA.
• Garrett Stubbs went two for two with a walk in three plate appearances. The 30-year-old backup catcher now has six hits and three walks in 17 spring PAs.
• Michael Mercado pitched a clean fourth inning, striking out two. Asked after the game whether Mercado has an outside shot to make the Opening Day active roster, manager Rob Thomson said, “Possibly, yeah. If he keeps throwing the ball the way he is. It’s either, he’s in the mix, or he’s depth.” Thomson noted that the Phillies would start building Mercado up for a possible bulk-inning reliever role. Their goal is for Mercado to pitch two innings in his next outing, then three in his following appearance.

The Bad

• Johan Rojas continued to struggle at the plate, going hitless in four at-bats and failing to make hard contact. Rojas is hitting .161 in 31 spring ABs. He reached base once on Sunday–on a fielder’s choice–and was promptly picked off. Spring training results aren’t important for all players, but Rojas will face continued scrutiny. Thomson is optimistic that the speedy outfielder will improve his offense: “Once the lower half [of Rojas’ body during a swing] syncs up, he’ll be good to go. When that’s gonna happen, I don’t know.” Thomson said he’s telling Rojas to bunt once each game.
• Griff McGarry loaded the bases in the seventh, allowing a double and two walks. But he retired the next two hitters to escape the inning without giving up a run. And Thomson said it was good to see McGarry work out of a jam: “He didn’t unravel, he stayed with it.”

The Ugly

• Phillies starter Max Castillo allowed six hits and five runs in three innings. Very cool of him to set the stage for Clemens and the comeback.
• O’Neil Cruz terrorized Castillo, hitting 846 feet of home runs in the first two innings of the game. The first of his two HRs left the ballpark at 114.4 mph, and the second had an exit velocity of 116.6 mph. “He’s got power, he can run, he can throw, he can defend . . . That’s a good player,” said Thomson when I asked him about Cruz after the game.

The Phillies play the Yankees at home in Clearwater on Monday at 1:05 p.m.

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