Harang, recovered from a sore back, set to make Phillies debut

Photo: Philliedelphia/Frank Klose

With just a little under four weeks remaining until Opening Day, the Philadelphia Phillies (2-3-1) will partake in their seventh Spring Training game this afternoon as they oppose the 2014 American League East division champions, the Baltimore Orioles (2-5).

Starting Pitching Matchup:

Harang, 36, was slated to start last Wednesday, however he was scratched because of a sore back. After throwing a bullpen session Friday, the 13-year veteran 'felt good' and was ready to make his first start in red pinstripes today, his next turn in the rotation.

This offseason, Harang signed to a one-year, major league deal worth $5 million with the Phillies. This is a decent pay raise from the $1 million he earned last year while with the Braves. In 204.1 innings over 33 starts, Harang allowed just 81 earned runs, or approximately one earned run every 2.5 innings.

Tillman, 26, will also be making his first start of the Spring. Last season, he went 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA over 207.1 innings in 34 starts.

The reason for Baltimore holding-out on starting their 2013 and 2014 Opening Day ace, until this afternoon, is due to the fact that the team is coming off of "playing deep into October". Tillman, who has thrown 413.2 combined innings over the past two seasons, was told to not throw any bullpen sessions in the offseason. Despite what seems to be the Orioles taking extreme measures to prevent injury, he is fully supportive of his team's decision:

"I think the point was to get guys as much rest as they possibly could. You know what, I agree with it. It's smart. You see some guys break down after a couple of long seasons and we're trying to eliminate that. I like it."

Starting Lineups:

Broadcast Information:

• First-pitch: 1:05 pm EST
• TV: N/A
• Radio: MLB.com

Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.