BRADENTON, Fla. - Gabe Kapler played most of what figures to be his opening day lineup on Friday and the Phillies responded with one of their best games of the Grapefruit League schedule in beating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-2.
The only regular not in the starting lineup was shortstop J.P. Crawford. Bench candidate Jesmuel Valentin played there (see story).
Opening day starter Aaron Nola pitched four shutout innings, gave up four hits, a walk and struck out five. He threw 64 pitches and 45 were strikes.
Maikel Franco belted two homers, both bombs to left. One was a two-run shot on a 3-0 fastball, the other a grand slam.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a good showing by the Phils without another impressive performance from the man who has been the best player in camp, Scott Kingery. He came off the bench, played center field, right field and third base, and stroked a hard single to right.
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It is doubtful that Kingery will be on the opening day roster, but it's looking more and more like he could be up with the big club as soon as April 13. If Kingery stays in the minors until then, the Phillies will control his rights through 2024. If he makes the opening day roster, he could be eligible for free agency after 2023. Keeping Kingery down for a few weeks won't sit well with some fans, but it makes good baseball sense, especially for a team that does not project as a slam-dunk contender.
Kapler raved about a play Kingery made at third.
"Wow, wow," the manager said. "His ability to go to his left and make that strong throw. He showed off that incredible arm and that versatility."
Kapler also liked Franco's power. The third baseman, entering a make-or-break season with the Phillies, is hitting just .192 on the spring, but he leads the club with five homers. Franco has closed his stance by bringing his front foot closer to the plate. He is getting more comfortable with the stance, which the Phillies hope will prompt him to use the middle of the field and stop pulling off balls.
"He attacked that 3-0 pitch," Kapler said. "That was pretty impressive."
Nola said he was "ready to go" for the opener.
Kapler concurred and compared Nola to a former Cy Young winner.
"Perfect tune-up for opening day, got him right where we wanted him with pitches - and he got to that pitch count by throwing strikes, a lot of them, and really attacking with pitches," Kapler said of Nola.
"He's starting to look to me a lot like - I saw Zack Greinke in the American League when he was with Kansas City - kind of a familiar look to the way that he uses the gas pedal and the brake effectively and fills up the strike zone with all his pitches. His calm, easy, collected demeanor is really reminiscent of some of the best pitchers in baseball."
The Phillies play the Tigers in Lakeland on Saturday.
