Phillies and Tigers briefly play baseball, nobody scores

The Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers played to a quick, scoreless tie in Lakeland, FL on Tuesday. The teams combined for just seven hits and one walk over an 118-minute display of something resembling baseball.

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

The Good

– Ranger Suarez continued his impressive spring, allowing just one hit in five innings of work. He struck out four batters and walked none. Suarez told reporters afterwards that his sinker is working well: “If I keep [the sinker] down in the zone, that’s the result I’m going to have.” He also attributed at least some of his success to confidence. “If you have confidence in your pitches, it’s going to work.”

In previous years, because of visa issues and injury, Suarez never pitched more than eight total innings during spring training. He has already pitched 15 innings this year, sporting a perfect 0.00 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP.

Suarez is expected to make one more start before the regular season begins.

– Bryce Harper did some fielding work and took swings in the batting cage earlier in the day back in Clearwater. He is expected to play in a game by the end of the week and, barring any setbacks, should be ready to go on Opening Day.

The Bad

– Johan Rojas went hitless in four at-bats. He is now slashing .156/.174/.267 in 46 plate appearances this spring. On Tuesday’s PHLY Phillies podcast, Jamie and Renee discussed the possibility of Rojas starting the season in AAA.

The Ugly

– Rojas isn’t the only issue on offense. With very few exceptions, the entire squad is struggling at the plate. Sure, it’s just spring. But the regular season is rapidly approaching and the Phillies will need to flip the switch soon. Among the 30 major league teams, their .231 batting average ranks 29th and their .672 OPS ranks 28th.

Up Next

The Phils will play the Orioles in Sarasota on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.