By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies (12-16-2) will aim for their third straight win, behind RHP Nick Pivetta, as they take on the Baltimore Orioles (16-12-2) and southpaw Nestor Cortes Jr. Sunday afternoon at Spectrum Field.
The Phillies are coming off of a 4-1 road win against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland on Saturday, after routing the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 away in Bradenton the day prior. At the plate, J.P. Crawford, Andrew Knapp and Roman Quinn produced their second, third and fifth spring RBI, respectively. Quinn also stole three bases.
Right-hander Drew Hutchison pitched well enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot, tossing four shutout innings with just one hit and three walks allowed. On Sunday, the Phillies selected Hutchison's contract and designated catcher Cameron Rupp for assignment after 296 games with the club from 2013-2017. Hutchison went 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA, 17 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP through six games and 19 2/3 innings this spring.
On Sunday, Pedro Florimon and Quinn will bat eighth and ninth as the designated hitter and shortstop, respectively. Florimon and Quinn are competing with Jesmuel Valentin for bench spots on the Phillies' Opening Day roster after backup catcher Knapp and the fourth outfielder, either Aaron Altherr or Nick Williams.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Baltimore Orioles (16-12-2) | Philadelphia Phillies (12-16-2) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | Nestor Cortes Jr. | RHP | Nick Pivetta | ||
| (0-1, 5.02 ERA) | (0-3, 4.70 ERA) | ||||
The Orioles plucked Cortes Jr., 23, from the New York Yankees with the ninth selection in December's Rule 5 draft. Cortes Jr. has allowed eight runs this spring through five games and three starts (14 1/3 innings), on 16 hits, two home runs, four walks and 11 strikeouts. He is expected to make the Orioles Opening Day roster.
Pivetta, 25, will make his sixth spring start and his first since his two-inning shutout performance against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 21. While the right-hander is 0-3 this spring, Pivetta has a 12-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 4.70 ERA through 15 1/3 innings.
Starting Lineups:
| Baltimore Orioles (16-12-2) | Philadelphia Phillies (12-16-2) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | RF | Craig Gentry* | R | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | CF | Cedric Mullins* | S | 2 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S |
| 3 | 1B | Trey Mancini | R | 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 4 | DH | Pedro Alvarez* | L | 4 | LF | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | 3B | Danny Valencia* | R | 5 | RF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 6 | C | Chance Sisco | L | 6 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 7 | LF | Anthony Santander | S | 7 | C | Jorge Alfaro | R |
| 8 | 2B | Ruben Tejada* | R | 8 | DH | Pedro Florimon | S |
| 9 | SS | Luis Sardinas* | S | 9 | SS | Roman Quinn | S |
* not on 40-man roster
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- After their Sunday contest, the Phillies will play a road-and-home set with the Pirates on Monday and Tuesday to conclude their 2018 Grapefruit League season. Right-hander Jake Arrieta will start Tuesday's spring finale (TV: NBCSP+).
- The Phillies have dropped two straight games to the Orioles this spring, having last won 9-6 in their second Grapefruit League contest on Saturday, Feb. 24.
- Two-thirds (6) of the Orioles' starters on Sunday are non-roster invitees, including former Pirates All-Star Pedro Alvarez and former New York Mets infielder Ruben Tejada.
- Phillies No. 2 prospect Scott Kingery (20 games, 51 at-bats) is tied with three other players for having the third-most hits this spring among National League batters, 20. Kingery trails only Colorado Rockies first baseman Ryan McMahon (28 games, 63 at-bats, 22 hits) and Chicago Cubs shortstop Mike Freeman (20 games, 51 at-bats, 21 hits).
- With his three stolen bases on Saturday, Quinn is now tied with former club prospect Carlos Tocci (Texas Rangers) and Keon Broxton (Milwaukee Brewers) for the most stolen bases this spring, 8.
Spring Training Roster Breakdown, (entering March 25, 2018):
Total Major League Camp Roster: 34 players (+4 non-roster, minor league-assigned invitees remaining in big league camp)
40-Man Roster (40 -1):
- Major League Camp (32 -1):
- Left-handed pitchers (3): Zac Curtis, Hoby Milner, Adam Morgan
- Right-handed pitchers (14): Victor Arano, Jake Arrieta, Zach Eflin, Luis Garcia, Drew Hutchison, Tommy Hunter, Ben Lively, Hector Neris, Pat Neshek, Aaron Nola, Nick Pivetta, Edubray Ramos, Jake Thompson, Vince Velasquez
- Catchers (2): Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp
- Infielders (5): J.P. Crawford, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, Carlos Santana, Jesmuel Valentin
- Outfielders (6): Aaron Altherr, Pedro Florimon, Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams
- Designated for Assignment (-1): Cameron Rupp
- Disabled List-bound RHPs (2): Jerad Eickhoff, Mark Leiter Jr.
- Minor League Camp (8):
- Left-handed pitchers (1): Ranger Suarez
- Right-handed pitchers (6): Drew Anderson, Seranthony Dominguez, Franklyn Kilome, Ricardo Pinto, Yacksel Rios, Jose Taveras
- Catchers (0):
- Infielders (0):
- Outfielders (1): Dylan Cozens
Non-Roster Invitees (17):
- Major League Camp (2):
- Left-handed pitchers (0):
- Right-handed pitchers (0):
- Catchers (0):
- Infielders (2): Scott Kingery, Will Middlebrooks
- Outfielders (0):
- Minor League Camp (15):
- Left-handed pitchers (2): Cole Irvin, Brandon Leibrandt
- Right-handed pitchers (4): Pedro Beato*, Enyel De Los Santos, Tom Eshelman*, J.D. Hammer
- Catchers (4): Edgar Cabral, Matt McBride*, Logan Moore, Nick Rickles
- Infielders (2): Heiker Meneses, Mitch Walding
- Outfielders (3): Collin Cowgill*, Danny Ortiz, Andrew Pullin
* remain in big league camp
What's Next:
- Monday, March 26, 2018: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:05 p.m.
- LECOM Park, Bradenton, Fla.
- RHP Vince Velasquez (1-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Williams (0-2, 5.54 ERA)
- TV: MLBN; Radio: MLB.com
