Exactly 30 days remain until Opening Day against the Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park. Until then, however, Ryne Sandberg and the rest of the coaching staff have a lot of important decisions to make in deciding who makes the team for the 133rd season of Phillies baseball.
In the meantime, the Philadelphia Phillies (1-1-1) will play their fourth Grapefruit League game this afternoon against Boston's hugest rival, the New York Yankees (1-1-1).
Today's matinee will be already the third meeting between the 2009 World Series rivals, despite it only being the first week of Spring Training game action. New York will play as a split squad, with the other half at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Tampa, Florida. The Yankees and Phillies drew 5-5 on Tuesday, and the subsequent day thereafter, the Phillies came out on top, 3-1.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
|
New York Yankees (1-1-1) |
Philadelphia Phillies (1-1-1) |
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|
LHP |
2014: (0-1, 2.43 ERA) |
LHP |
2014: (9-9, 2.46 ERA) |
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Mitchell, 23, was drafted in the 16th round of the 2009 amateur draft. He made his Major League debut in relief last season on August 10, going just one batter over the minimum in two innings of work to finish out the game.
On September 12 at Camden Yards, Mitchell threw his first major league start in the second game of a day-night doubleheader. He pitched well enough for the win, allowing two earned runs over five innings of work, however the Bronx Bombers' offense was held dormant by a dominant performance from Bud Norris.
The left-hander's third and final appearance of the season came in relief of a shaky outing from Masahiro Tanaka on September 27. Mitchell allowed only one run over four innings, and struck out three batters.
YES Network suspects that the North Carolina-native will spend this upcoming season at Triple-A, and could contribute to the big-league club if needed.
On the other side of the mound, Phillies' ace Cole Hamels will be making his 2015 Spring Training debut. With trade speculation surrounding the left hander throughout the offseason, there will surely be a contingent of scouts, particularly from Boston, to see the 2008 World Series MVP on the mound today at Bright House Field.
Hamels is expected to throw two innings, which is traditional for a starting pitcher in their first start of the Spring.
Starting Lineups:
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New York Yankees (1-1-1) |
Philadelphia Phillies (1-1-1) |
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|
|
Position/Bats |
Player |
|
Position/Bats |
Player |
|
1 |
6/L |
1 |
8/L |
||
|
2 |
5/S |
2 |
6/S |
||
|
3 |
4/L |
3 |
DH/L |
||
|
4 |
3/S |
4 |
3/L |
||
|
5 |
DH/L |
5 |
7/R |
||
|
6 |
2/R |
6 |
5/L |
||
|
7 |
7/L |
7 |
2/R |
||
|
8 |
9/R |
8 |
9/R |
||
|
9 |
8/L |
9 |
4/S |
||
Out of the Pen:
Setup men RHP Ken Giles and LHP Jake Diekman are expected to make their Spring Training debuts today, according to Phillies' beat writer Meghan Montemurro.
Giles, 24, struck out 64 batters in just 45.2 innings of work last year in his rookie season. He is thought to be the eventual replacement to Jonathan Papelbon as closer.
Diekman, 28, has three years and 150 games of experience under his belt. He too had a high strikeout-to-inning ratio last season, 100 to 71.
This offseason, it was revealed that Diekman suffers from an intestinal disease called Ulcerative Colitis. Despite having to take 20 pills a day, and feeling pain through flare-ups, he has shown positivity this Spring through his motto, 'gut it out'.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 1:05 pm EST
- TV: TCN, MLBN
- Radio: N/A
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
