Here are this morning’s news bits:
PHILLIES WIN!: Okay, so it was against the University of Tampa (actually, forget that, because this once happened), but the Phillies are undefeated in 2018. They beat Tampa 9-0 at Spectrum Field on Thursday, relying on a bunch of singles and doubles to get them there.
If there was any breakout story from the extremely exhibition game, it was Seranthony Dominguez. The starter-turned-reliever can throw in the high 90s, complementing that plus pitch with a good slider. The good stuff was out Thursday, as after letting up a single, he struck out all three Tampa batters who followed. Meghan Montemurro at the Athletic has a good writeup of the outing, plus what Dominguez means for the Phils.
We’re not about to scream “future closer,” but the stuff translates to a late-innings role. He’s 23, on the 40-man roster (by necessity but also the Phils wanted to keep him) and put up a 10.8 K/9 ratio last year in Clearwater. It’s likely he starts the year in Reading and could be in Philly by the end of the season.
TODAY’S GAME: The Phillies open Grapefruit League play today against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Gametime is 1:07 p.m. (radio: WIP). Here’s the lineup:
- Scott Kingery 2B
- Maikel Franco 3B
- Cameron Rupp C
- Nick Williams RF
- Will Middlebrooks 1B
- Pedro Florimon SS
- Dylan Cozens LF
- Collin Cowgill CF
- Matt McBride DH
Starting on the mound is Nick Pivetta.
This weekend the Phils play their first home game in the Grapefruit (Saturday vs. Orioles) and then host the Yankees for the first time this spring (Sunday).
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