Aaron Altherr drove in three runs and Vincent Velasquez started his first game of the spring as the Phillies tied the Rays 5-5.
The Phillies and Rays produced a result exclusive to spring training as their game ended in a 5-5 tie Wednesday afternoon. Aaron Altherr went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Vincent Velasquez made his first start of the spring.
Philadelphia’s starting lineup saw just two expected major-league starters in Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph. Prospects Andrew Knapp, J.P. Crawford, and Roman Quinn were all in the lineup for Wednesday’s game.
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Velasquez tossed two shutout innings to start the game, giving up just one hit while collecting one strikeout. Tampa Bay’s first run came off ofAdam Morgan as he gave up a double to Patrick Leonard who later scored on a groundout. On the bright side, Morgan struck out three batters in his lone inning of work.
Philadelphia picked up three runs in the top of the fourth when Altherr hit a bases-loaded triple.
Altherr gave the Phils a 3-1 lead as Knapp, Quinn, and Crawford all scored on the play.
The lead evaporated in the sixth inning as Alec Asher gave up three runs over two innings, including a two-run home run to Jesus Sucre. Ricardo Pinto threw a scoreless seventh, but Hector Neris gave up another run in the bottom of the eighth to put Philadelphia behind 5-3.
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The Phils rallied in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game. Cameron Perkins brought the team within one with a RBI groundout, and Hector Gomez knocked a RBI double to tie the game.
With the game tied going into the bottom of the ninth, Pete Mackanin tasked Michael Mariot with keeping the game tied. After a walk, an error by Rhys Hoskins – his second of the day – and a sacrifice fly, there were runners on the corner with one out.
Jorge Alfaro made two key blocks to keep the runners were they were, and Mariot retired the last two batters to keep the game tied and Philadelphia’s spring record at 3-2.
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Had this been a regular season game, the two squads would have continued to play, but the managers want to protect their players and would rather not burn all their pitchers in a meaningless game.