Zack Wheeler and Mick Abel look sharp against Yankees

The Phillies lost to the Yankees on Monday, 2-1. But, as always with these spring contests, individual player performances matter more than the score.

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

The Good

– Zack Wheeler threw three innings in his second spring appearance, holding the Yankees scoreless and hitless. He walked two and struck out three. Perhaps most importantly, Wheeler found some success with the new splitter he’s toying with. The potential addition to his pitch arsenal looked like it could be an effective weapon.

It’s not like Wheeler needs much help. He has already cemented his position as one of the top pitchers in the game. But Wheeler is driven to keep improving and win pitching’s highest single-season honor: “This can put me over the top. Hopefully get a Cy Young,” said Wheeler earlier this preseason. “If I can take care of lefties like I do righties, hopefully that’ll take care of itself. “

Left-handed batters posted OPS figures of .590, .611, and .722 against Wheeler in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively, while right-handed batters posted corresponding figures of .581, .640, and .548. The growing disparity was a concern, so Wheeler started looking for a solution.

He just might have found one. Wheeler only threw the splitter five times on Monday, according to Baseball Savant. Hitters took the pitch twice and swung three times. Two of the swings were whiffs, and the third resulted in a weak pop-up. “It’s good, it’s coming,” manager Rob Thomson said about the pitch after the game. “He got a strikeout on it. It’s got a lot of depth to it.”

Wheeler seemed similarly pleased with the way the pitch is developing. “I got the results I wanted,” he told reporters. “Hopefully will continue to carry that and have that feel for it.”

– Mick Abel was impressive in the game as well: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, including a strikeout against new Yankees star Juan Soto. Abel also didn’t allow a hit or a walk in his one previous spring appearance.

“I was really happy with [Abel],” Thomson said after the game. “Threw strikes . . . spun the ball really well, spun it in the dirt when he needed to. The changeup was good, the slider. He really pitched well.”

The 22-year-old Abel, who mlb.com ranks as the Phillies’ second-best prospect behind Andrew Painter, is expected to start the season at AAA in the IronPigs’ rotation.

– Relievers Connor Brogdon, Andrew Bellatti and Yunior Marte each threw a scoreless inning. Combined, they allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out five (three Ks from Marte).

The Bad

– A lineup full of expected Phillies starters struggled at the plate, striking out 13 times and collecting just five hits in 31 at-bats. Catcher Aramis Garcia entered the game as a pinch-hitter and continued to impress, smacking a ninth-inning double. The hit was Garcia’s tenth in 21 spring ABs. But the big bats–Schwarber, Turner, Harper, Realmuto, Stott, Bohm, and Castellanos–went a combined one for 17.

The Ugly

– Garcia’s double and two walks loaded the bases for the Phillies with two outs in the ninth, and Carlos De La Cruz worked a 3-0 count against Yankees RHP Alex Mauricio. A BayCare Ballpark crowd that was quiet most of the day woke up and readied for a walk-off W. But three pitches later, Mauricio struck De La Cruz out looking. Even in an exhibition, you hate to see it. Especially against that team in the navy uniforms.

The Phillies are off on Tuesday, then play the Tigers in Lakeland, FL on Wednesday afternoon.