Halladay’s Spring Debut Coupled With an Inability to Catch the Ball

I am not sure if bad defense in the second game of spring training is any cause for alarm.  If it proves to be something to worry about, the Phillies were extremely worrisome today.  The team’s utility infielder, Michael Martinez, made two errors on pretty easy plays and their other utility infielder booted a slightly more difficult play at third base.  The fourth error was charged to Dom Brown on a dropped transfer to his throwing hand on a fly ball.

This is sure to start a groundswell of support for the requisition of Wilson Valdez.  I would be on board with an idea floated by Todd Zolecki in which Freddy Galvis is groomed for the utility role.  We have a pretty good idea that Martinez can not hit and he is slightly above average on defense.  Galvis had a decent year hitting the ball last year and the guy can definitely pick it defensively.  If you play for a team with a pitching staff like the Phillies, you better catch the god damn ball.

Roy Halladay made his spring debut today.  The proof that Roy is still working the kinks out can be found in the fact that Alex Rodriguez homered today.  Rodriguez has only one career home run off of Halladay in eighty three career plate appearances.  Halladay looked pretty much like you would assume; like he could pitch in a regular season game right now.  Every time that I see him on the mound, I harken back to the days of Eric Milton’s sortee as staff ace.  Mercifully, those days have passed.

The line-up trotted out by the Yankees was chock full of despicable players marking the spring debuts of the aforementioned Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira.  I hate every one of these players for different, completely independent incoherent reasons.  For the people who attempt to explain to me that Derek Jeter plays the game the right way and that I should respect all that he has done for the game can go screw.

Hunter Pence homered for the second straight game and Domonic Brown went 2-4 with a triple that would have been a home run if it was not knocked down by the wind.

Joel Pinero took the loss because of shaky defense as the Phillies fell by a final of 7-4.  More Yankees on the horizon everyone!