By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies (6-10), who have dropped two straight following a four-game win streak, will look to rebound against veteran RHP Andrew Cashner and the split-squad Baltimore Orioles (7-8-1) Sunday evening at Ed Smith Stadium. Phillies RHP Nick Pivetta will make his third spring start.
The Phillies fell 5-3 on Saturday to the Tampa Bay Rays, despite leading 3-0 heading into the top of the eighth. Solo and three-run home runs by 23-year-old minor leaguer David Olmedo-Barrera — in the eighth and ninth against right-handers Mark Leiter Jr. and Hector Neris — led the Rays' comeback win. Second baseman Cesar Hernandez and first baseman Carlos Santana produced the Phillies' only runs-batted-in. The club collectively produced six hits, two by center fielder Odubel Herrera. Starter Vince Velasquez tossed four shutout frames, allowing three hits while striking out two.
Manager Gabe Kapler's squad is 1-1 against the Orioles this spring, winning 9-6 on Feb. 24 but dropping their March 3 matchup, 4-2. The clubs will meet for the final time this spring in two weeks at Spectrum Field, before their regular season, two-game home-and-home series, May 15-16 in Baltimore and July 3-4 in Philadelphia.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (6-10) | Baltimore Orioles (7-8-1) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nick Pivetta | RHP | Andrew Cashner | ||
| (0-2, 7.36 ERA) | (2017: 11-11, 3.40 ERA) | ||||
Pivetta, 25, has yielded a home run in each of his two spring starts thus far, Feb. 23 away against the Toronto Blue Jays (Curtis Granderson, 1st inning, 0 on, 0 out) and March 1 home against the New York Yankees (Miguel Andujar, 2nd inning, 0 on, 0 out). Through 3 2/3 total frames, Pivetta has allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits, four walks and five strikeouts.
Last year in his rookie season with the Phillies, Pivetta went 8-10 with a 6.02 ERA and 140 strikeouts through 26 starts and 133 innings. His 140 punchouts were the second-most on the team, trailing only right-hander Aaron Nola, 184 in 168 innings.
Cashner, 31, will make his spring and Orioles debut, just a little over three weeks since inking a two-year, $16 million deal on Feb. 16. The contract includes $5 million in performance incentives each season and a $10 million vesting option for 2020.
Three months prior, Cashner's previous team in the Texas Rangers declined to extend a one-year, $17.4 million qualifying offer to the right-hander. Cashner recorded an underwhelming 86-64 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 166 2/3 innings with the Rangers in 2017, but went 11-11 with a 3.40 ERA in 28 starts nonetheless.
In eight big league seasons with the Chicago Cubs (60 games), San Diego Padres (130 games), Miami Marlins (12 games) and Rangers (28 games), the eight-year veteran is 42-64 with a 3.80 ERA in 893 innings.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (6-10) | Baltimore Orioles (7-8-1) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | SS | Ryan Flaherty* | L | 1 | 3B | Tim Beckham | R |
| 2 | LF | Rhys Hoskins | R | 2 | 1B | Trey Mancini | R |
| 3 | RF | Nick Williams | L | 3 | SS | Manny Machado | R |
| 4 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S | 4 | CF | Adam Jones | R |
| 5 | CF | Aaron Altherr | R | 5 | 2B | Jonathan Schoop | R |
| 6 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 6 | RF | Craig Gentry* | R |
| 7 | 2B | Pedro Florimon* | S | 7 | LF | Anthony Santander | S |
| 8 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 8 | DH | Austin Hays | R |
| 9 | P | Nick Pivetta | R | 9 | C | Caleb Joseph | R |
* non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 6:05 p.m.
- TV: N/A
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Right-hander Jose Mesa Jr., son of former Phillies closer Jose Mesa, is on the Orioles' 40-man roster this spring. Mesa is No. 2 on the Phillies all-time saves list (112) behind Jonathan Papelbon (123).
- Non-roster invitee shortstop Ryan Flaherty will lead off and start against his former team. In six seasons with the Orioles from 2012-2017, Flaherty hit .215/.284/.355 with 35 home runs and 128 runs-batted-in.
- Sunday's meeting with the Orioles will be the second of three evening games under the lights this spring. The Phillies fell 4-3 to the Yankees in the first night contest on Feb. 26 at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The club will travel to Walt Disney World on Monday for the third and final night spring game, taking on their division rival Atlanta Braves.
- Phillies 1B/OF Tommy Joseph leads the club this spring in hits (9) and doubles (3), while 1B/OF Rhys Hoskins leads the club in walks (5). Non-roster invitee Scott Kingery is the spring club leader in home runs (3) and stolen bases (4).
- Out of the six other starting pitchers that have appeared for the Phillies this spring — Nola, Ben Lively, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Tom Eshelman — Pivetta has posted the highest ERA (7.36, tied with Eickhoff), opposing batting average (.333) and WHIP (2.45). The right-hander's four yielded walks also are the most among these Phillies starters.
- Just 49 players remain in Phillies big league camp. As seen in the roster breakdown below, 33 of these players are currently on the 40-man roster. The club will need to make 24 more roster cuts to reach the 25-player threshold prior to Opening Day on March 29.
Spring Training Roster Breakdown, (entering March 11, 2018):
Total Major League Camp Roster: 49 players
40-Man Roster (40):
- 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
- 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:
- Monday, March 12, 2018: at Atlanta Braves, 6:05 p.m.
- Champion Stadium, Kissimmee, Fla.
- RHP Zach Eflin (0-0, 6.23 ERA) vs. LHP Sean Newcomb (1-1, 4.50 ERA)
- TV: N/A; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
