By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Veteran right-handers Jeremy Hellickson and Bartolo Colon will square off Wednesday afternoon as the Philadelphia Phillies (6-4-2) take on the Atlanta Braves (2-9) at Champion Stadium.
The Braves have yet to win a spring training game in the month of March, dropping seven straight. In those contests, they have been outscored 58-26. Atlanta is tied with the Minnesota Twins for the worst spring training winning percentage, .182.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (6-4-2) | Atlanta Braves (2-9) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jeremy Hellickson | RHP | Bartolo Colon | ||
| (2016: 12-10, 3.71 ERA) | (2016: 15-8, 3.43 ERA) | ||||
Through two starts, Hellickson and Colon have each thrown five innings, surrendering three earned runs and one home run. The Phillies’ right-hander yielded three more hits and two more walks than his opposition, doubling his WHIP ratio to 2.
Colon, 43, enters his 20th Major League season. He signed to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the Braves on Nov. 11 after three seasons with the New York Mets.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (6-4-2) | Atlanta Braves (2-9) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | SS | Jace Peterson | L |
| 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 2 | 2B | Brandon Phillips | R |
| 3 | DH | Daniel Nava^ | S | 3 | RF | Nick Markakis | L |
| 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 4 | LF | Matt Kemp | R |
| 5 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 5 | DH | Adonis Garcia | R |
| 6 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 6 | C | Tyler Flowers | R |
| 7 | LF | Brock Stassi^ | L | 7 | 3B | Rio Ruiz | L |
| 8 | RF | Dylan Cozens | L | 8 | 1B | Blake Lalli^ | L |
| 9 | CF | Roman Quinn | S | 9 | CF | Micah Johnson | L |
^ non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: MLBN
- Radio: N/A
Game Notes:
- Scheduled Phillies relievers: RHP Mark Appel and non-roster invitee LHP Sean Burnett.
- The Phillies offense ranks third this spring in runs (73), home runs (17), RBIs (69) and walks (46). The Braves have scored the fourth-fewest runs, 44.
- Phillies non-roster invitee Brock Stassi leads Major League Baseball in runs (8) and RBIs (11). His sixth inning grand slam against the Tigers on Tuesday helped the Phillies secure their sixth Grapefruit League victory.
- The Phillies have the second-best stolen base percentage this spring (84.6), minimum 10 attempts.
What’s Next:
- Thursday, March 9, 2017: vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 1:05 p.m.
- Spectrum Field (Clearwater)
- LHP Francisco Liriano (2016: 8-13, 4.69 ERA) vs. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (2016: 11-14, 3.65 ERA)
- TV: TCN; Radio: N/A
