Franco hits spring-leading eighth home run as Phillies, Blue Jays end in tie

By: Matt Rappa, managing editor

Final: Phillies 4, Blue Jays 4  ❖  Attendance: 8,537

CLEARWATER, Fla. — In a game which featured four home runs—two for both sides—the Friday evening matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies (14-7-3) and Toronto Blue Jays (15-4-3) at Bright House Field concluded in a 4-4 tie.

Third baseman Maikel Franco launched his league-leading eighth home run of the spring in the third inning, the most for a Phillie in Grapefruit League action since first baseman Ryan Howard had 10 in 2009. Franco's blast put him two ahead of former Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence, who is currently second in the category with six.

Making his second-to-last appearance of the spring, Phillies' Opening Day starter Jeremy Hellickson allowed two runs on four hits and three walks spanning four and two-thirds innings. Center fielder Odubel Herrera (bruised left middle finger) went 0-2 with two strikeouts in his first appearance since March 12.

The Phillies are now (1-2-2) in five meetings with the Blue Jays this spring. The two clubs will face each other for the final time—until June 13 in the regular season—on Monday, March 28, at 1:07 p.m. in Dunedin.

Hub:   Game Summary   ❖   Starting Pitchers   ❖   At the Plate   ❖   Bullpen   ❖   What's Next

Game Summary

The Phillies had just two hits entering the latter-half of the seventh inning—a single by right fielder Peter Bourjos and Franco's home run in the bottom of the second and third innings, respectively.

Toronto's produced runs up to this point in the contest, giving them a three-run, 4-1 advantage, came off of a two-run home run by first baseman Casey Kotchman in the fourth, a solo blast by right fielder Darrell Ceciliani in the sixth and a RBI-single by left fielder Michael Saunders in the seventh.

Watch: Herrera's running catch (MLB.com)

Thanks to a four-hit, three-run offensive outburst in the inning, the Phillies tied the game at four runs for both sides.

Following a lead-off single by center fielder Darnell Sweeney, Bourjos connected to left field with his second home run of the spring to pull the Phillies within one run. Three batters later, pinch-hitter Freddy Galvis singled and then stole second, which led to a RBI, game-tying single by second baseman Cesar Hernandez on a soft ground ball to the right side.

In four-and-a-third innings of relief, the Phillies' bullpen allowed five hits and two runs, striking out six batters.

The game ended in a tie, the Phillies' third of the spring.

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Starting Pitchers

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At the Plate

Blue Jays

• Josh Donaldson: 2-3, 2B, BB, .364 AVG
• Darrell Ceciliani: 2-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, .438 AVG
• Casey Kotchman: 3-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, .286 AVG

Phillies

• Cesar Hernandez: 1-4, RBI, .346 AVG
• Maikel Franco: 1-3, R, HR, RBI, BB, .302 AVG
• Peter Bourjos: 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .326 AVG

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Bullpen

Blue Jays

• Pat Venditte (4th, 5th): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
• Drew Storen (6th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 1.50 ERA
• Brett Cecil (7th): 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 9.82 ERA
• Steve Delabar (7th, 8th): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 2.70 ERA
• Randy Choate (8th): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
• Ryan Tepera (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 1.42 ERA

Phillies

• James Russell (5th): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 2.08 ERA
• Daniel Stumpf (6th): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 4.35 ERA
• Edward Mujica (6th, 7th): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 2.45 ERA
• David Hernandez (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 3.00 ERA
• Jeanmar Gomez (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 1.80 ERA

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What's Next

• Saturday, March 26, 2016: vs. Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m.
• Clearwater – Bright House Field
  
• RHP Justin Verlander (2-0, 1.93 ERA) vs. LHP James Russell (0-0, 2.08 ERA)
• TV: CSN, MLB.TV; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

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