Harper, Realmuto, Bohm shine in Grapefruit League debut

The Phillies blew a ninth-inning lead for the third consecutive game on Wednesday, settling for a 7-7 tie with the Braves in Clearwater.

While the meltdowns are unsettling to watch, the pitchers responsible are unlikely to spend much time on the Phils’ major league roster this season. There’s no real cause for concern.

Three players who will be on the big-league club this year, meanwhile, sparkled in their first appearances of the spring.

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

The Good

• JT Realmuto started his spring with a bang, hitting a first-inning home run off of Braves righthander AJ Smith-Shawver.
• Bryce Harper hit a single in his first spring at-bat and, more importantly, looked like he’d been playing first base for years. Check out this diving stop on a sharply hit grounder and this nicely-executed double play. “It was nice to jump right into the fire,” said Harper. “Get a couple pretty hot ones at you.”
• Alec Bohm went two for three, including a first-inning dinger that plated Harper.
• Johan Rojas went hitless in two at-bats, but reminded everyone of his defensive prowess when he ran down this ball in the fourth.
• Seranthony Dominguez, Matt Strahm, and Jose Alvarado each worked one of the middle innings and held the Braves scoreless, combining to strike out four, walk none, and allow just one hit. Jeff Hoffman and Cristian Hernandez teamed up to pitch a scoreless eighth.
• Aramis Garcia picked up two more hits. He now has five hits in seven at-bats this spring.

The Bad

• The Phillies’ first three pitchers of the day–Tyler Phillips, Nick Nelson, and Gregory Soto–combined to allow four runs in the first four innings. They walked two batters and served up five hits, including two home runs.
• Nick Castellanos went 0/3 with two strikeouts.

The Ugly

• Righthander Austin Brice was responsible for the blown save after beginning the ninth with a 7-4 lead. Brice walked two and allowed three hits, including a home run.

The Phillies will play the Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon in Dunedin, FL.