By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
With right-hander Vince Velasquez set to make his third start of the spring, the Philadelphia Phillies (6-9) will take on the Tampa Bay Rays (6-8-1) and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in a Saturday matinee at Spectrum Field.
For the first time this spring, the Phillies will bat their pitcher and elect not to use the designated hitter position. Velasquez will bat eighth, ahead of shortstop J.P. Crawford in the nine-hole.
The Phillies' four-game win streak was snapped on Friday, falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4. Both clubs' offense produced nine hits. Second baseman Cesar Hernandez, center fielder Odubel Herrera and left fielder Rhys Hoskins produced two-thirds of the Phillies' hits, with two base-knocks each. Non-roster invitee Scott Kingery went 1-1 with two stolen bases, while starter RHP Jerad Eickhoff allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings. Right-hander Jake Thompson tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
The Phillies made another round of roster cuts on Friday, shrinking their camp to 55 players. Infielder Eliezer Alvarez, outfielder Dylan Cozens, right-handers Franklyn Kilome and Jose Taveras, along with southpaw Ranger Suarez, were all optioned to minor league camp.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Tampa Bay Rays (6-8-1) | Philadelphia Phillies (6-9) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nathan Eovaldi | RHP | Vince Velasquez | ||
| (1-0, 0.00 ERA) | (1-1, 7.36 ERA) | ||||
Eovaldi, 28, missed all of last season due to undergoing Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in August of 2016. The Rays signed the right-hander in February of 2017 despite knowing he would miss the entire season. Eovaldi only appeared in a minor league game in September. Pleased with his rehabilitation progress, the club exercised Eovaldi's $2 million 2018 option in November.
Through six big league seasons, combined with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and New York Yankees, Eovaldi is 38-46 with a 4.21 ERA. Eovaldi led the American League in win-loss percentage with the Yankees in 2015, .824.
Eovaldi has yet to allow a run this spring spanning 3 1/3 innings, allowing no walks and only two hits, while striking out four.
Velasquez, 25, has five strikeouts this spring spanning 3 2/3 innings with a 1.64 WHIP. After surrendering three runs in 1 2/3 innings in his spring debut on Feb. 28, the right-hander rebounded in his second start by tossing two scoreless frames on March 5.
Starting Lineups:
| Tampa Bay Rays (6-8-1) | Philadelphia Phillies (6-9) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | SS | Willy Adames | R | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | C | Kevin Kiermaier | L | 2 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S |
| 3 | LF | Denard Span | L | 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 4 | RF | Jason Coats* | R | 4 | LF | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | 1B | Jake Bauers | L | 5 | RF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 6 | 2B | Daniel Robertson | R | 6 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 7 | DH | Joey Wendle | L | 7 | C | Jorge Alfaro | R |
| 8 | 3B | Christian Arroyo | R | 8 | P | Vince Velasquez | R |
| 9 | C | Brett Sullivan* | R | 9 | SS | J.P. Crawford | L |
* non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP+
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- The Phillies signed 31 pre-arbitration players to one-year contracts for 2018 Saturday morning, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. As reported on Thursday, 1B/OF Rhys Hoskins' 2018 contract was instead renewed.
- The Phillies and Rays last met on Friday, March 2, as manager Gabe Kapler's squad put up a strong, 9-2 victory at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte. After Saturday, the clubs will meet for the last time this spring on Tuesday at Spectrum Field, ahead of their April 13-15 regular season series in Tampa.
- Former Phillies right-handers Dustin McGowan and Colton Murray are in Rays camp this spring as non-roster invitees.
- Scheduled Rays relievers:
- Right-handers: Yonny Chirinos, Chih-Wei Hu, Alex Colome
- Left-handers: Jose Alvarado, Dan Jennings
- The Rays have failed to win in four straight games, with their last victory being a 9-1 road win against the New York Yankees in their home city of Tampa on Sunday, March 4.
What's Next:
- Sunday, March 11, 2018: at Baltimore Orioles (split-squad), 6:05 p.m.
- Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, Fla.
- RHP Nick Pivetta (0-2, 7.36 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Cashner (spring debut)
- TV: N/A; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
