Phillies’ Hutchison set for 1st spring start opposite Archer, Rays

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Phillies (7-11) will face the Tampa Bay Rays (7-9-1) for the third and final time this spring in a Tuesday matinee at Spectrum Field. Non-roster invitee RHP Drew Hutchison will get his first starting nod in a Phillies uniform, while Rays two-time All-Star RHP Chris Archer will make his fourth spring start.

The Phillies are coming off of a 3-0 shutout victory over their division-rival Atlanta Braves in Walt Disney World Monday evening, with non-roster invitee Mitch Walding providing all of the game's offense with a three-run blast in the eighth against Braves closer Arodys Vizcaíno. Manager Gabe Kapler's squad was out-hit 9-2, with the Phillies' only other base-knock being a leadoff double by  shortstop J.P. Crawford earlier in the eighth, igniting the team's late rally. Right-handed starter Zach Elin tossed five shutout frames, allowing only one hit while striking out two.

Prior to the game, the Phillies held an introductory press conference for RHP Jake Arrieta. Arrieta was joined by Kapler, his agent, Scott Boras, and Phillies Vice President and General Manager Matt Klentak.


Starting Pitching Matchup:

Tampa Bay Rays (7-9-1) Philadelphia Phillies (7-11)
RHP Chris Archer RHP Drew Hutchison
(0-0, 5.68 ERA) (1-0, 2.25 ERA)

Archer, 29, sits atop the Rays rotation as their No. 1 starter. The right-hnader has allowed two runs in each of his last two starts, March 3 against the Detroit Tigers and March 8 against the Boston Red Sox. Collectively, Archer has a 1.74 WHIP this spring, allowing eight hits and three walks through 6 1/3 innings.

Hutchison, 27, has a 1.00 WHIP this spring through three relief appearances and eight innings. Allowing two runs on five hits and three walks, the non-roster invitee has also struck out six batters, limiting them to a .185 average.

The Phillies signed Hutchison, a four-year veteran, to a minor league deal on Feb. 15. Hutchison went 30-21 with a 4.93 ERA in three-plus seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2012-2016.


Starting Lineups:

Tampa Bay Rays (7-9-1) Philadelphia Phillies (7-11)
  Position Player Bats   Position Player Bats
1 LF Denard Span L 1 2B Scott Kingery* R
2 CF Kevin Kiermaier L 2 1B Carlos Santana S
3 3B Matt Duffy R 3 3B Maikel Franco R
4 1B C.J. Cron R 4 LF Rhys Hoskins R
5 DH Jason Coats* R 5 CF Aaron Altherr R
6 C Jesus Sucre R 6 RF Nick Williams L
7 SS Daniel Robertson R 7 SS Roman Quinn S
8 2B Kean Wong* L 8 P Drew Hutchison* L
9 RF Brandon Snyder* R 9 C Andrew Knapp S

* non-roster invitee


Broadcast Information:

  • First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
  • TV: NBCSP+, MLBN
  • Radio: N/A

Game Notes:

  • Hutchison has had a fairly effective spring thus far. It will be interesting to see if his performance impresses the Phillies enough to add him on the big league roster come Opening Day. Of course, the club would have to remove another player from the 40-man roster like they did to Tommy Joseph on Monday to make room for Arrieta.
  • With Arrieta taking right-hander Ben Lively's No. 49, Lively will now wear No. 54, the current number of non-roster invitee lefty Fernando Abad.
  • The Phillies are 1-1 against the Rays so far this spring, winning the first meeting, 9-2, on Friday, March 2, while dropping the most recent meeting, 5-3, on Saturday.
  • The Phillies' 3-0 victory Monday evening was their first Grapefruit League shutout this spring. The Phillies also blanked the University of Tampa 6-0 in the exhibition opener on Thursday, Feb. 22.
  • Rays scheduled pitchers following Archer:
    • Right-handers: Austin Pruitt, Chaz Roe, Daniel Hudson, Ian Gibaut (non-roster invitee)
    • Left-handers: Jose Alvarado, Jonny Venters (non-roster invitee), Kyle Bird (non-roster invitee)

Spring Training Roster Breakdown, (entering March 13, 2018):

Total Major League Camp Roster: 49 players

40-Man Roster (40 -1):

  • Major League Camp (33):
    • Left-handed pitchers (3): Zac Curtis, Hoby Milner, Adam Morgan
    • Right-handed pitchers (16): Victor Arano, Jake Arrieta, Seranthony Dominguez, Zach Eflin, Jerad Eickhoff, Luis Garcia, Tommy Hunter, Mark Leiter Jr., Ben Lively, Hector Neris, Pat Neshek, Aaron Nola, Nick Pivetta, Edubray Ramos, Yacksel Rios, Jake Thompson, Vince Velasquez
    • Catchers (3): Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp, Cameron Rupp
    • Infielders (6): J.P. Crawford, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, Carlos Santana, Jesmuel Valentin
    • Outfielders (5): Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams
  • Designated for Assignment (-1): Tommy Joseph
  • Minor League Camp (7):
    • Left-handed pitchers (1): Ranger Suarez
    • Right-handed pitchers (4): Drew Anderson, Franklyn KilomeRicardo Pinto, Jose Taveras
    • Catchers (0):
    • Infielders (1): Eliezer Alvarez
    • Outfielders (1): Dylan Cozens

Non-Roster Invitees (23):

  • Major League Camp (16):
    • Left-handed pitchers (1): Fernando Abad
    • Right-handed pitchers (4): Pedro Beato, Tom Eshelman, Drew Hutchison, Francisco Rodriguez
    • Catchers (2): Matt McBrideLogan Moore
    • Infielders (5): Ryan FlahertyScott KingeryWill MiddlebrooksAdam RosalesMitch Walding
    • Outfielders (4): Collin Cowgill, Pedro Florimon, Danny Ortiz, Andrew Pullin
  • Minor League Camp (7):
    • Left-handed pitchers (2): Cole Irvin, Brandon Leibrandt
    • Right-handed pitchers (2): Enyel De Los Santos, J.D. Hammer
    • Catchers (2): Edgar CabralNick Rickles
    • Infielders (1): Heiker Meneses
    • Outfielders (0):

What's Next:

  • Wednesday, March 14, 2018: at Atlanta Braves, 1:05 p.m.
    • Champion Stadium, Kissimmee, Fla.
    • RHP Ben Lively (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. LHP Max Fried (0-0, 7.71 ERA)
    • TV: N/A; Radio: MLB.com
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