After coming away with a 7-3 win last night against the Yankees in Tampa, the Phillies (9-7-1) are in Bradenton, Florida today for a 1:05pm matchup against the Pirates (7-7) split squad. Earlier Friday morning, the Phillies optioned Maikel Franco to minor league camp along with pitchers Nefi Ogando and Joely Rodriguez. Franco had just six hits in 30 at-bats this spring. Also, in yesterday's game, Domonic Brown exited early with a sore achillies tendon. This afternoon, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez will look to impress in hopes of earning a spot in the rotation while the Pirates will counter with former Phillie, Vance Worley.
Since signing a three-year, $12 million contract with the Phillies in August of 2013, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez has given Phillies fans little reason to believe he will be a part of the teams' future. In his first professional season, Gonzalez posted a 3.11 ERA in the minors, spanning 46 1/3 innings, but struggled at the big league level. In 5 1/3 innings with the Phillies in 2014, he gave up four runs on four hits and walked three. His inability to persistently hit the strike zone is a major concern moving forward and this spring has been a struggle for the 28-year-old Cuban right-hander. In seven innings this spring, Gonzalez has given up seven runs on 12 hits, good for an ERA of 9.00. With the injury to Cliff Lee, there's still a chance he could find himself starting at some point this season, but he's going to need to show something today to back up any remaining confidence the Phillies have in him.
Since joining the Pirates, Vance Worley has revitalized his career in some ways. The Phillies dealt him to Minnesota for Ben Revere and injuries kept Worley from being effective in the Twins organization. After catching on with the Pirates, he found his comfort level on the mound again and his numbers proved it. In 18 games for Pittsburgh in 2014, Worley went 8-4 with a 2.85 ERA, 1.8 BB/9 and 6.4 K/9 in 110 2/3 innings. So far this spring, the 27-year-old righty has thrown six innings and given up two runs. In one start against his former team last year, Worley have up three runs in five innings to earn the win for the Pirates.
LINEUPS:
Today's #PhilliesST lineup vs. #Pirates. Gonzalez vs Worley. 1:05 pm game time on @MLBTV. pic.twitter.com/SsEakZwvOK
— Phillies (@Phillies) March 20, 2015
#pirates split-squad today v #phillies pic.twitter.com/kvgb1jmqyk
— Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) March 20, 2015
Gametime: 1:05pm
Location: McKechnie Field, Bradenton, Florida
TV: MLBTV
Radio: None
