By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Right-hander Jake Thompson will make his first start of the spring as the Philadelphia Phillies (9-12-3) look to snap their three-game skid against RHP Kyle Gibson and the Minnesota Twins (13-8-1) Tuesday afternoon at the CenturyLink Sports Complex.
The Twins have won three of their last four games and have the fifth-best winning percentage in baseball this spring, .619. The Phillies' last Grapefruit League win came a week ago today. They have lost four of their five contests since and tied 2-2 on Thursday despite a near no-hit effort.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (9-12-3) | Minnesota Twins (13-8-1) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jake Thompson | RHP | Kyle Gibson | ||
| (2016: 3-6, 5.70 ERA) | (2016: 6-11, 5.07 ERA) | ||||
Thompson's spring debut came Thursday in a 2 1/3-inning relief appearance against the Orioles. The 23-year-old was perfect, striking out two batters: right fielder Craig Gentry and first baseman Chris Davis.
The right-hander will likely start the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, given the Phillies' starting rotation depth at the big league level. Thompson's spring debut was delayed due to reporting to camp last month with right wrist soreness.
Gibson, 29, has allowed just four runs through 17 1/3 innings and five starts this spring. His 2.08 ERA is the fourth-best in baseball among qualifying pitchers.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (9-12-3) | Minnesota Twins (13-8-1) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | DH | Chris Coghlan^ | L | 1 | 1B | Joe Mauer | L |
| 2 | 2B | Howie Kendrick | R | 2 | CF | Byron Buxton | R |
| 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 3 | 2B | Brian Dozier | R |
| 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 4 | RF | Max Kepler | L |
| 5 | RF | Michael Saunders | L | 5 | 3B | Miguel Sano | R |
| 6 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 6 | C | Jason Castro | L |
| 7 | LF | Brock Stassi^ | L | 7 | SS | Jorge Polanco | S |
| 8 | C | Bryan Holaday^ | R | 8 | DH | ByungHo Park | R |
| 9 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 9 | LF | Danny Santana | S |
^ non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: MLBN
- Radio: N/A
Game Notes:
- The Phillies have 12 spring training games remaining before they head north to Cincinnati for Opening Day on April 3. Half of those games will be home at Spectrum Field. Pete Mackanin's squad will play split on Wednesday, March 29, with away contests against the Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton) and Detroit Tigers (Lakeland).
- Howie Kendrick will make his first start with the Phillies at second base, while non-roster invitee and spring RBI leader Brock Stassi starts in left field. This is an early look at some of the lineup flexibility available for Mackanin this season on days where Cesar Hernandez needs rest.
What's Next:
- Wednesday, March 22, 2017: vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m.
- Spectrum Field (Clearwater)
- RHP Masahiro Tanaka (2016: 14-4, 3.07 ERA) vs. RHP Vince Velasquez (2016: 8-6, 4.12 ERA)
- TV: TCN, MLBN; Radio: N/A
