By: Theo DeRosa, contributor to Philliedelphia 
Final: Astros 2, Phillies 1
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Phillies managed just two hits and couldn't score after the first inning in their loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
Cedric Hunter drove in Philadelphia's only run in the first, but Houston scored two unearned runs off of Charlie Morton in the fifth inning. The Phillies threatened in the eighth, but could never drive across the tying run and lost, 2-1.
WP: James Hoyt (1-0, 1.35 ERA) ❖ LP: Charlie Morton (1-1, 8.53 ERA) ❖ SV: Ken Giles (1)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| HOU |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Cedric Hunter continued his hot streak this spring. The career minor leaguer is trying to earn a spot on the Phillies' bench in 2016, driving in Cesar Hernandez with a single in the first inning. The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning, when Danny Worth reached base on an error by Darin Ruf at first. After José Altuve walked and moved Worth to second, a single by Preston Tucker scored Worth and tied the game at 1-1. Colby Rasmus' groundout scored Joe Sclafani, pinch-running for Altuve, to give Houston a lead it would not relinquish. James Hoyt (W, 1-0), Neal Cotts, Jake Buchanan, and former Phillies' closer Ken Giles combined to hold the Phils to just one hit and no runs over the next four innings. The Phillies' record now stands at 14-7.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Morton | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4.63 |
| Michael Feliz | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1.29 |
Phillies
- Cedric Hunter: 1-4, RBI, .292 AVG
- Andres Blanco: 1-1, .296 AVG
- César Hernández: 0-2, R, .354 AVG
Astros
- Preston Tucker: 2-3, RBI, .321 AVG
- Jason Castro: 3-3, .280 AVG
- Joe Sclafani: 0-1, R, .077 AVG
Blue Jays
- James Hoyt (5th): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 1.08 ERA
- Neal Cotts (6th): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 2.45 ERA
- Jake Buchanan (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 4.50 ERA
- Ken Giles (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 9.00 ERA
Phillies
- Brett Oberholtzer (6th): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
- Chris Leroux (7th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 7.20 ERA
- Daniel Stumpf (8th): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 3.72 ERA
- Hector Neris (8th): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 8.10 ERA
What's Next
- Thursday, March 24, 2016: at Atlanta Braves, 6:05 p.m.
- Lake Buena Vista - Champion Stadium
- LHP Adam Morgan (2-0, 2.00 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Wisler (0-0, 3.12)
- TV: MLB.TV; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, WIFN 1340/WFOM 1230 (Atlanta)
