By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Nearly 220 days have past since Philadelphia Phillies (3-2-1) right-hander Aaron Nola made his last live appearance.
The 23-year-old was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a UCL sprain and a low-grade flexor sprain despite a strong start against the Atlanta Braves on July 28.
Now feeling "100 percent," Nola will return to the mound as he faces former Phillies southpaw J.A. Happ and the struggling Toronto Blue Jays (1-5) Thursday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.
Happ, 34, is 68-60 in 181 appearances and 990 innings since he was dealt as part of the acquisition of Roy Oswalt in July 2010. He finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting last season, having tied for second-most wins in baseball (20). In his sophomore season, Nola posted a 121-29 K-BB ratio spanning 20 starts and 111 innings.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (3-2-1) | Toronto Blue Jays (1-5) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Aaron Nola | LHP | J.A. Happ | ||
| (2016: 6-9, 4.78 ERA) | (2016: 20-4, 3.18 ERA) | ||||
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (3-2-1) | Toronto Blue Jays (1-5) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 1 | CF | Kevin Pillar | R |
| 2 | RF | Cameron Perkins^ | R | 2 | LF | Ezequiel Carrera | L |
| 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 3 | RF | Jose Bautista | R |
| 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 4 | DH | Kendrys Morales | S |
| 5 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 5 | C | Jarrod Saltalamacchia^ | S |
| 6 | LF | Brock Stassi^ | L | 6 | 1B | Justin Smoak | S |
| 7 | DH | Nick Williams | L | 7 | 2B | Ryan Goins | L |
| 8 | C | Ryan Hanigan^ | R | 8 | 3B | Jon Berti^ | R |
| 9 | 2B | Jesmuel Valentin | S | 9 | SS | Gregorio Petit^ | R |
^ non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:07 p.m.
- TV: MLBN
- Radio: MLB.com
Game Notes:
- Scheduled Phillies relievers: right-handers Pat Neshek, Ben Lively, Luis Garcia, Edubray Ramos and left-hander Joely Rodriguez.
- The Blue Jays are tied with the American League champion Cleveland Indians for the fifth-worst team batting average this spring, .230.
- A two-run ninth inning on Wednesday secured the Phillies a 5-5 tie with the Tampa Bay Rays at Port Charlotte. Non-roster invitee outfielder Cameron Perkins grounded out to second to score Roman Quinn from third, while non-roster invitee infielder Hector Gomez later hit a RBI double for the game-tying run.
- The Phillies defeated the Blue Jays 10-3 on Sunday, Feb. 26 — outhitting their opposition 13-6 — with nine strikeouts on just two walks from the pitching staff.
What's Next:
- Friday, March 3, 2017: vs. Minnesota Twins, 1:05 p.m.
- Spectrum Field (Clearwater)
- RHP Trevor May (2016: 2-2, 5.27 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (2016: 12-10, 3.71 ERA)
- TV: TCN; Radio: N/A
