Today, the Phillies face off against the Toronto Blue Jays in their final game in Florida. The Phillies will head home to Philadelphia tonight for the On Deck Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yesterday, the Phillies faced the Detroit Tigers and were shut out 1-0 by a Justin Verlander that look like he was in mid season form.
A.J. Burnett will take the hill in his final tune up before the regular season. This spring Burnett is 1-2 with a 7.53 ERA in 14.1 innings. That ERA is a little high from the March 7th game against the Orioles where he gave up six runs in three innings. The one problem A.J. has had this spring is a lot of hit batsmen and walks. He would like to limit them in his final start.
The Blue Jays will give the ball to Drew Hutchison. Hutchison has had a very good spring going 0-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 9.2 innings and an impressive 16 strikeouts. At the age of 24, Hutchison looks to be a solid young arm for the Jays.
Game Notes:
- Cole Hamels will throw two innings in a minor league game today
- Bobby Abreu was released and is pursuing an opportunity with another club
- After yesterday’s game, the Phillies released Michael Stutes
Lineups:
Phillies Lineup:
- Revere CF
- Rollins SS
- Utley 2B
- Howard DH
- Byrd RF
- Ruiz C
- Asche 3B
- Mayberry 1B
- Gwynn LF
A.J. Burnett is the Phillies starter for today’s game
Blue Jays Lineup:
- Rasmus CF
- Sierra RF
- Cabrera LF
- Bautista DH
- Lind 1B
- Navarro C
- Lawrie 3B
- Izturis SS
- Goins 2B
Drew Hutchison is the Blue Jays starter for today’s game
First Pitch: 1:05 PM ET
Location: Bright House Field, Clearwater, FL
Weather: Cloudy, 70oF, spotty showers, 55% of precip
TV: TCN
Radio: MLB.com
Andrew Shipotofsky is writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him of Twitter @AShipotofsky
