In his first start of the Grapefruit League season, right-hurler Aaron Nola surrendered four earned runs in two frames to take the loss, as the Phillies fell to Toronto by a score of 9-6 on Saturday.
At the contest in Dunedin, the Blue Jays tagged the 22-year-old for four runs in the first inning, all before he recorded an out. Designated hitter Troy Tulowitzki started things off with his first home run of the spring campaign, a solo shot. Left fielder Michael Saunders launched a 3-run shot a few batters later. He would finish with three hits and five RBI on the day.
Nola would finish with a walk and four hits allowed while striking out none.
It’s certainly not panic time for fans of the Phillies’ top draft selection from 2014. He posted a 6-2 record with a 3.59 ERA in 13 big league starts as a rookie last season. Having a rusty outing early in spring against one of the top teams in baseball isn’t anything to worry about for Nola or Phils fans. It’s worth noting that he did toss a scoreless inning earlier this week against the University of Tampa.
Out of the Phils’ bullpen on Saturday, lefty Elvis Araujo allowed two earned runs in a lone frame. Righty Reinier Roibal was charged with three unearned runs in two innings of work, allowing four hits and striking out one. Lefty Bobby LaFromboise tossed two scoreless innings, striking out three without allowing a single base runner. Right-hander Dalier Hinojosa finished the game with a scoreless frame.
On offense for the Phillies, third baseman Taylor Featherston slammed a solo home run. He was 1-for-2 with a walk on the day. A trio of Phils catchers each had hits with Logan Moore lacing a double, Jorge Alfaro going 1-for-3 and Carlos Ruiz (as the DH) going 1-for-3 with a RBI.
The loss takes the Phillies’ record to 2-3 this spring while Toronto went to 4-0. The Phils return to action on Sunday when they travel to Tampa to take on the Yankees at 1:05pm Eastern.
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