By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Right-hander Clay Buchholz played in 10 seasons with the Boston Red Sox before being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies (6-6-2) this past offseason.
Nearly 10 percent of his 206 career appearances have been in opposition of the rival New York Yankees (11-3).
While he is no longer in the same division as Joe Girardi's club — which has the best record in baseball this spring — Buchholz will look to end the Phillies' two-game skid against them Friday afternoon at Spectrum Field. He will oppose RHP Luis Cessa.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| New York Yankees (11-3) | Philadelphia Phillies (6-6-2) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Luis Cessa | RHP | Clay Buchholz | ||
| (2016: 4-4, 4.35 ERA) | (2016: 8-10, 4.78 ERA) | ||||
Cessa, 24, threw two perfect innings of relief against the Phillies in the Yankees' Grapefruit League opener on Feb. 24. He struck out left fielder Tyler Goeddel and catcher Andrew Knapp in the 9-4 New York victory.
Buchholz, 32, faces the Yankees for the first time since his six-inning outing on Sept. 28. In the loss, the right-hander allowed no runs on one hit and two walks while recording six strikeouts.
Starting Lineups:
| New York Yankees (11-3) | Philadelphia Phillies (6-6-2) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Aaron Hicks | S | 1 | DH | Chris Coghlan^ | L |
| 2 | C | Gary Sanchez | R | 2 | CF | Roman Quinn | S |
| 3 | 1B | Greg Bird | L | 3 | LF | Howie Kendrick | R |
| 4 | DH | Matt Holliday | R | 4 | RF | Michael Saunders | L |
| 5 | 3B | Chase Headley | S | 5 | C | Cameron Rupp | R |
| 6 | 2B | Starlin Castro | R | 6 | 1B | Brock Stassi^ | L |
| 7 | RF | Aaron Judge | R | 7 | 3B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 8 | LF | Clint Frazier^ | R | 8 | SS | J.P. Crawford^ | L |
| 9 | SS | Tyler Wade^ | L | 9 | 2B | Scott Kingery^ | R |
^ non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: TCN, MLBN
- Radio: N/A
Game Notes:
- Scheduled Phillies relievers: left-handers Adam Morgan and Joely Rodriguez, along with right-hander Luis Garcia.
- During the Phillies' two-game losing streak, they have recorded a combined six runs on nine hits, leaving 12 men on base and batting 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
- Yankees' non-roster invitee LHP Justus Sheffield will pitch against the Phillies today, according to the New York Daily News. Sheffield, 20, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians 31st overall in the 2014 amateur draft. In 25 combined starts last season within the Indians and Yankees' minor league system, Sheffield went 10-6 with a 3.38 ERA and 129 strikeouts through 125 1/3 innings. He is not related to retired slugger Gary Sheffield.
- The Phillies currently have the 15th-best winning percentage in baseball and trail just five National League teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (.769), St. Louis Cardinals (.692), Milwaukee Brewers (.615), New York Mets (.615) and Colorado Rockies (.583).
What's Next:
- Saturday, March 11, 2017: at Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m.
- Florida Auto Exchange Stadium (Dunedin)
- RHP Vince Velasquez (2016: 8-6, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Marco Estrada (2016: 9-9, 3.48 ERA)
- TV: N/A; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, SN590
