By: Brandon Apter, contributor 
After a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros yesterday in Clearwater, the Phillies (13-5) head to Lakeland today for a matchup with the Detroit Tigers (14-6). The Phils have won six of their last eight spring training matchups and currently trail Arizona by two games for the best record in the Grapefruit League.
Yesterday's win against Houston saw two Phillies lead the way, starter Jeremy Hellickson and second baseman Cesar Hernandez. Hellickson hurled five hitless innings while Hernandez raised his average to .390 after going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs scored and three RBI's.
Today, Phillies second-year starter Aaron Nola will get his fourth start of the spring and will be opposed by veteran right-hander Anibal Sanchez.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (13-5) | Detroit Tigers (14-6) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Aaron Nola | RHP | Anibal Sanchez | ||
| (0-1, 7.71 ERA) | (0-0, 0.00 ERA) | ||||
Aaron Nola, after two shaky starts to begin the preseason, is coming off of a strong outing against the Rays back on March 15th. He tossed 4.2 innings and surrendered two runs on six hits while striking out five. His command was a bit better as well this time around, throwing 27 of his 28 pitches for strikes. This spring, Nola has pitched 9.1 innings and allowed eight earned runs on 14 hits while striking out nine and walking two.
Meanwhile, Anibal Sanchez is making his Grapefruit League debut for the Tigers after recovering from triceps inflammation. Last season, he went 10-10 with a 4.99 ERA. In 17 games against the Phillies in his career, Sanchez is 4-8 with a 4.94 ERA.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (13-5) | Detroit Tigers (14-6) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | David Lough | L | 1 | 2B | Ian Kinsler | R |
| 2 | LF | Tyler Goeddel | R | 2 | DH | Justin Upton | R |
| 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 3 | 1B | Miguel Cabrera | R |
| 4 | DH | Ryan Howard | L | 4 | RF | J.D. Martinez | R |
| 5 | 1B | Darin Ruf | R | 5 | CF | Tyler Collins | L |
| 6 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 6 | C | James McCann | R |
| 7 | RF | Cedric Hunter | L | 7 | SS | Mike Aviles | R |
| 8 | 2B | Emmanuel Burriss | S | 8 | LF | John Mayberry Jr. | R |
| 9 | SS | Ryan Jackson | R | 9 | 3B | Austin Romine | S |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: N/A
- Radio: MLB.com
Game Notes:
- With Carlos Ruiz currently in Panama, Cameron Rupp has been seeing the majority of playing time behind the plate. Rupp is having an impressive spring, hitting .455 (10-for-22) with two doubles, three homers, five RBI's and six runs scored.
- According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Phillies are having a tough time separating Vince Velasquez and Adam Morgan in the battle for the fifth starter spot. Stark tweets that the Phillies are a team that could use a six-man rotation with all of their young arms.
- Odubel Herrera has been out of the lineup since March 12th after suffering an injury to his right middle finger. Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com reports that the Phillies starting center fielder vows to return this week.
- If the Phillies plan to carry an extra outfielder on their roster with the injuries to both Cody Asche and Aaron Altherr, it will likely be either David Lough or Cedric Hunter. Both are hitting .308 this spring, but Hunter has more home runs, doubles and hits than Lough at this point.
- Prior to today's game, the Phillies sent reliever Colton Murray to Triple-A. Murray pitched 5.1 innings this spring and allowed one run on six hits while striking out four and walking one. The Phillies now stand at 49 players on their roster.
What's Next:
- Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016: vs. Minnesota Twins (SS), 1:05 p.m.
- Clearwater, FL – Bright House Field
- RHP Phil Hughes (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
- TV: The Comcast Network; Radio: MLB.com
