MLB Spring Training: the ups and downs of the Phillies

MLB Spring Training Recap: March 9

Loser: Didi Gregorius, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Girardi still has concerns, notably at shortstop where Didi Gregorius continues to chase his first MLB spring training base hit.

Gregorius got three more chances to find it Monday against his old team without success. He led off the second inning with an infield pop, grounded to first in the fourth inning, then batted one final time with a runner on third and two out in the sixth. He flied out.

Gregorius has now come up empty on 22 consecutive at-bats, four of them ending in strikeouts. He has reached base twice, both times via walks.

Loser: Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher

In Phillies camp, the bad news wasn’t confined to the field. Projected opening day starter Aaron Nola, who was supposed to take the mound Monday, caught the flu and Girardi said his readiness for opening day might be in question.

“It’s something we’re going to have to look at,” Girardi said.

He said Nola would not return to the team earlier than Thursday, if then.  If he was able to pitch on Friday, he probably would only have one more start before opening day, and Girardi acknowledged that may not be enough to have him ready to go.

Loser: Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox shortstop

Anderson’s spring hasn’t been as bad as Gregorius’s over in Philadelphia. Then again, Gregorius isn’t a defending batting champion.

In a 3-3 tie game with the Cincinnati Reds Monday, Anderson went hitless in three more at-bats, dropping his spring batting average to .208. He has just five hits, only one for extra bases, in 24 official spring at-bats.

The Reds pitchers set down the 2019 American League batting king on infield groundouts in the first, third and fifth. The first two led off what proved to be unproductive innings, the fifth inning grounded ended that inning.

Loser: Nate Snell, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher

Nate Snell only wishes he enjoyed Monday’s game as much as Ryu. The 2018 Cy Young Award winner took the mound for Tampa Bay and absorbed and administered an abundance of punishment to himself.

Snell walked the first two batters he faced, Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio. Lourdes Gurriel flied out, but then Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Travis Shaw also walked. That forcing Bichette home and it also forced Snell from the mound.

By the time the first inning had ended, Snell was charged with four earned runs and was saddled with a spring ERA of 27.00. Two appearances into his spring assignments, he’s walked as many batters as he’s retired.

Loser: Minnesota Twins offense

The Minnesota Twins are spending this spring trying to prove what everybody said about them last year: You don’t need to hit for average, just for distance.

So far the wisdom of that strategy is open to question.

On Monday, three St. Louis Cardinals pitchers held the Twins scoreless on six hits. Max Kepler, Nelson Cruz, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, and Miguel Sano – all ticketed for regular duty – went hitless in a combined dozen at-bats.

The Twins’ team average this spring is .227, ranking 27th in all of MLB. They do have 47 extra-base hits in 13 MLB spring training games, so the power remains. But they’re averaging a puny six singles per game, putting extra pressure on those Twins bats to go big or go back to the dugout.