New-look Phillies set to face Newcomb, Braves in Disney

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Phillies (6-11) and RHP Zach Eflin are headed to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Walt Disney World, for a Monday evening matchup against their division rival Atlanta Braves (8-8-1) at Champion Stadium. Disney-bound or not, manager Gabe Kapler‘s squad would still be in good spirits on Monday, one day removed from signing veteran right-hander Jake Arrieta to a three-year deal.

Suddenly the competition for the final spot in the Phillies’ rotation got a lot more interesting thanks to the addition of Arrieta. Right-handers Eflin, Mark Leiter Jr., Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta and Jake Thompson will now battle for the fifth spot behind Arrieta, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez. Eflin, Leiter Jr. and Thompson have just one combined start this spring, however, perhaps pointing to either Lively or Pivetta as the likely favorite to make the big league rotation out of camp.

The Phillies are coming off of a 4-0 road shutout loss to one of Arrieta’s former teams in the Baltimore Orioles (split-squad). The club had just four hits, two by non-roster invitee Pedro Florimon. Florimon also stole his second base of the spring. Non-roster invitee Scott Kingery went 1-1 with an eighth inning single to left. Pivetta tossed four shutout innings before surrendering three runs in the fifth, including a two-run shot to opposing catcher Caleb Joseph.

The Phillies and Braves will square off two more times this spring, March 14 in Kissimmee and March 17 in Clearwater, before meeting in 17 days for Opening Day at SunTrust Park.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

Eflin, 23, will make his second start and third spring appearance overall. After having surgery on both knees at the end of the 2016 season, Eflin said this spring he “finally feels fully healthy and at full strength.” Through 4 1/3 combined innings, the right-hander has surrendered three runs (all earned) on five hits, two walks, two home runs and five strikeouts.

Newcomb, 24, is competing with LHP Scott Kazmir and RHP Matt Wisler for one of two final spots in the Braves rotation. Through three starts and six innings this spring, Newcomb has yielded four runs (three earned) on four hits, two walks, three home runs and six strikeouts.

Starting Lineups:

* non-roster invitee

Broadcast Information:

• First pitch: 6:05 p.m.
• TV: N/A
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game Notes:

• Update, 6:05 p.m.: First baseman Tommy Joseph was slated to bat cleanup and start at first, however he was designated for assignment by the Phillies prior to the game to make room for Arrieta on the 40-man roster.
• Braves non-roster invitee outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has the second-highest batting average this spring, .419. Acuna Jr.’s 13 hits are tied with six other players for the third most in baseball. The 20-year-old is ranked as the league’s No. 2 prospect, trailing only Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim RHP/OF Shohei Ohtani.
• The Phillies have lost three straight games since Friday, outscored 14-7. The club is 5-6 in March and went 1-5 in February. The Braves, meanwhile, are one game removed from routing the split-squad Pittsburgh Pirates 15-1 on Saturday.
• Former Phillies southpaw prospect Jesse Biddle appeared in three games for the Braves this spring, combining for 3 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just two singles. The 26-year-old was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, but is still part of the Braves’ 40-man roster. In 27 appearances and 49 2/3 innings last season with Double-A Mississippi, Biddle went 2-4 with a 2.90 ERA and 53-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Biddle missed all of the 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery, and yet the Phillies were still able to trade him to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 3, 2016 for the since-released RHP Yoervis Medina.

Spring Training Roster Breakdown, (entering March 12, 2018):

Total Major League Camp Roster: 49 players

40-Man Roster (40 +1):

• Major League Camp (33):
  • Left-handed pitchers (3): Zac Curtis, Hoby Milner, Adam Morgan
  • Right-handed pitchers (16): Victor Arano, Seranthony Dominguez, Zach Eflin, Jerad Eickhoff, Luis Garcia, Tommy Hunter, Mark Leiter Jr., Ben Lively, Hector Neris, Pat Neshek, Aaron Nola, Nick Pivetta, Edubray Ramos, Yacksel Rios, Jake Thompson, Vince Velasquez
  • Catchers (3): Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp, Cameron Rupp
  • Infielders (6): J.P. Crawford, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, Tommy Joseph, Carlos Santana, Jesmuel Valentin
  • Outfielders (5): Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams
• Not-Yet-Added (+1): Jake Arrieta
• Minor League Camp (7):
  • Left-handed pitchers (1): Ranger Suarez
  • Right-handed pitchers (4): Drew Anderson, Franklyn Kilome, Ricardo Pinto, Jose Taveras
  • Catchers (0):
  • Infielders (1): Eliezer Alvarez
  • Outfielders (1): Dylan Cozens

Non-Roster Invitees (23):

• Major League Camp (16):
  • Left-handed pitchers (1): Fernando Abad
  • Right-handed pitchers (4): Pedro Beato, Tom Eshelman, Drew Hutchison, Francisco Rodriguez
  • Catchers (2): Matt McBride, Logan Moore
  • Infielders (5): Ryan Flaherty, Scott Kingery, Will Middlebrooks, Adam Rosales, Mitch Walding
  • Outfielders (4): Collin Cowgill, Pedro Florimon, Danny Ortiz, Andrew Pullin
• Minor League Camp (7):
  • Left-handed pitchers (2): Cole Irvin, Brandon Leibrandt
  • Right-handed pitchers (2): Enyel De Los Santos, J.D. Hammer
  • Catchers (2): Edgar Cabral, Nick Rickles
  • Infielders (1): Heiker Meneses
  • Outfielders (0):

What’s Next:

• Tuesday, March 13, 2018: vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 1:05 p.m.
  • Spectrum Field, Clearwater, Fla.
  • RHP Chris Archer (0-0, 5.68 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Hutchison (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
  • TV: NBCSP+, MLBN; Radio: N/A