Franco Homers as Phillies Sting Rays in ‘Pitch Timer’ Debut

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Before 5,609 fans, the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Tampa Bay Rays Friday afternoon in the club’s 2019 Grapefruit League opener at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida.

With Manny Machado gone to the San Diego Padres, Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery will battle this spring for the starting third baseman role. Coincidentally, both players combined to produce the Phillies’ three runs en route to their 3-2 victory.

Kingery put the Phillies up 1-0 early in the first with a RBI triple to deep center; Kingery scored on the play, after Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier fell while fielding a “would-be fly out,” notes Philly.com’s Matt Breen. Franco, meanwhile, drove in two, via a bases-loaded walk in the third and a solo home run to left in the fifth.

“When you come into camp you always have a competition,” Franco told MLB.com. “I don’t even think about that. I’m just trying to get better. I’m just trying to do my job.”

No. 16-ranked Phillies prospect LHP Cole Irvin started the game, yielding one run on three hits while punching out three batters through 2 1/3 innings. LHP Aaron Brown, LHP Austin Davis, RHP Edgar Garcia, LHP James Pazos, LHP Jeremy Bleich, RHP Tyler Viza and LHP Tom Windle all followed in relief, combining to allow just four hits, one run, one walk while striking out four batters through the remaining 6 2/3 innings.

The game not only showcased Kingery’s and Franco’s bat, but also Major League Baseball’s first usage of its new 20-second “pitch timer” in a big-league game. The timer’s rules, announced on Friday, state it is to monitor time between each pitch; the pitcher “must deliver each pitch of an at-bat prior to the expiration” of the timer. The batter must be in the batter’s box, alert, at the 5-second mark of the timer.

It is not yet known if the timer will be used in the regular season; it has already been used for in the minor leagues. The timer will be used in three phases this spring, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki: (1) without enforcement so players and umpires can become familiar with the system, (2) early next week umpires will issue reminders to pitchers and hitters who violate the rule, but no ball-strike penalties will be assessed, (3) late this spring, depending on the status of negotiations with the players’ association, umpires will be instructed to assess ball-strike penalties for violations.

Zolecki writes how the new pitch timer affected Irvin and the Phillies on Friday:

“There really isn’t too much of a deal,” Irvin said about the timer. “I dealt with it in the Minors for a few years, so I don’t think there’s too much to be said. For a big leaguer, I don’t know how they feel about it, but for me, I’m used to trying to release a pitch every 12-13 seconds. That’s kind of where my time frame is. I work quick. Even if the time clock wasn’t there, I’d still probably pitch that quick.” …

Kapler said he and the coaching staff prepared his pitchers for the timer. However, only two of the team’s eight pitchers (left-handers Austin Davis and James Pazos) have pitched more than one inning in the big leagues, so nobody really noticed.

“A lot of them were like, ‘Yeah, that’s normal for us,'” Kapler said.

Irvin earned the win and Windle the save, while outfielder Dylan Cozens, fighting for a bench role, swept the game’s only base. Andrew Romine committed a fielding error at second base in a game that took two hours and 45 minutes to play. The Rays’ runs came via a sacrifice fly RBI in the third by Ji-Man Choi, and a solo home run in the sixth by Jason Coats.

The Phillies will kick off spring action at Spectrum Field on Saturday opposite their state-rival Pittsburgh Pirates. Right-hander Enyel De Los Santos will receive the starting nod opposite Pirates southpaw Steven Brault.