Spring training: Phillies @ Braves review

The Phillies got roughed up Tuesday, falling to the Atlanta Braves, 10-1. Starter Kyle Kendrick and temporary closer Tom Gordon pitched poorly, and shortstop Jimmy Rollins continued his dismal spring at the plate.


The Good

Right-hander Francisco Rosario pitched 3 1/3 surprisingly scoreless innings, only allowing baserunners on two hits. Rosario is on the bubble for a bullpen spot, but he certainly strengthened his case against the Braves. Rosario also made an unheard-of trip to the plate; the pitcher, who is 0-for-1 in his two-year career, struck out Tuesday.

Center fielder Shane Victorino was hot for the second straight day. Victorino collected a single and a double and scored the Phils' only run. His spring average is .385. Victorino was knocked in by first baseman Ryan Howard, who is continuing his strong spring. Howard was 1-for-3 with a strikeout, bringing his average to .438.

Bench player Eric Bruntlett (.467) and invitee Greg Golson (.750) stayed red hot, each collecting a hit in his sole at-bat. Potential backup outfielder Chris Snelling was also 1-for-1.


The Bad

As mentioned earlier, Kendrick and Gordon did not look good against the Braves. Kendrick, the starter, gave up seven runs on five hits in just 2 2/3 innings. Six of Atlanta's starting nine collected hits against Kendrick, including doubles from Jeff Francoeur and Martin Prado. Kendrick also walked two, and hit a single to right field in his one at-bat.

Gordon repeated his horrible performance of Saturday, this time facing eight batters in his one inning of work. Three runs crossed the plate as the result of three hits, a walk, and a fielding error by first baseman Greg Dobbs. The bright spot for Gordon is that only one of the runs was earned.

If Phillies fans are looking for a silver lining in Kendrick's and Gordon's apparent struggles, they might find it when they consider that both pitchers were trying to work new pitches into their arsenals; Kendrick is developing his change-up, while Gordon is mixing in his curve.

Rollins was 0-for-3 with a strikeout Tuesday, lowering his spring average to .077. Rollins' only hit came February 28 against Pirates minor-leaguer Ronald Belisario.

Outfielders Geoff Jenkins and Jayson Werth were each 0-for-3. Jenkins struck out once.

Second baseman Chase Utley also struck out and went 0-for-2 with a walk on the day. His spring average is a sub-par-for-Utley .250.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz was 0-for-2 with a walk, but makes the "Bad" list for a throwing error on a pickoff attempt in the first inning. The catcher has shown and expressed his over-eagerness to pick off runners at first base, and he has demonstrated how error-prone that practice can be.


The Average

Veteran and invitee lefty Vic Darensbourg tossed a shutout inning but did give up two singles. Darensbourg has compiled a Mendoza-line ERA of 4.50 this spring.

Wes Helms collected his second hit of the spring in a 1-for-3 effort. Helms also struck out. Dobbs, relieving Howard at first base, grounded into a double play in his only at-bat.

Minor leaguers Ray Olmedo (strikeout), T.J. Bohn (strikeout), and Jason Jaramillo (groundout) and invitees Casey Smith (strikeout), and Val Pascucci (strikeout) were all 0-for-1.


Today's Games

The Phillies play two split-squad games at 1:05 this afternoon. Brett Myers will start against the Toronto Blue Jays, and J.D. Durbin gets the ball versus the Detroit Tigers. Neither game is available through MLB.com's multimedia subscriptions, but you can follow live box scores on Phillies.com.