Phils hit and pitch, Mike Adams looking good

The Phillies' bats racked up nine hits and five walks while their arms held the Pirates to one hit and no runs in a 5-0 win in Bradenton.

No, Ryan Howard didn't notch a hit playing in his 10th straight Grapefruit League game, going 0 for 3 with a strikeout, but six other Phillies did with Ben Revere, Michael Young and Yuniesky Betancourt each picking up two.

Four of the Phils' five runs came in the second inning, when three men drew bases-loaded walks — Humberto Quintero, Revere (yes, Revere) and Chase Utley. Young drove in the other run with an RBI single.

Darin Ruf, who's been struggling at the plate in Florida, played the entire game in left field and went 0 for 2 with a walk. He was also plunked twice. He has one hit in his last 11 at-bats.

On the mound, John Lannan, Mike Adams, Adam Morgan and Raul Valdes held the Bucs scoreless. Lannan allowed a hit and two bases on balls in three innings of work and his second spring outing.

In the fourth, Adams entered and tossed a perfect frame inducing Alex Presley and Gaby Sanchez to fly out while striking out Travis Snider in between. He needed only six pitches, five of which were strikes.

In his only previous appearance this spring, Adams allowed one hit and picked up a strikeout in one inning against the Braves on Feb. 28. He threw just six pitches that day as well — all for strikes.

"Everything is coming along the way I expected and the way I hope," Adams said afterward. "It feels like my arm strength is getting better every outing, and I'll try to carry this the rest of the month."

The common mantra is that spring stats don't really matter, and yes this is the smallest of sample sizes, but what else could one want at this point? Two innings pitched, one hit, no walks, two strikeouts and 11 of 12 pitches for strikes — plus the guy says he feels good? That's all you could ask for when the calendar reads March 4.

Check out CSNPhilly's full recap here.

Comments

[The Hook]

I think ruf is in same spot brown was a few years ago. Hope news is good about d young ankle.

[STS]

Isn't Ruf a year older than Brown?

[aksmith]

Good news about DYoung's ankle would probably resemble this: "Looks like retirement is your only option."

[Fatalotti]

Fatalotti: But most analysts will tell you why they say it. Even Wheels will say why he refers to someone that way.

Posted by: The Truth Injection | Monday, March 04, 2013 at 07:52 PM

Yeah, Wheels referred to both Placido Polanco and Matt Stairs as "professional hitters". The two couldn't be more different in their hitting approach.

Point being, the term is just a filler term. It means nothing.

[Allen Thornberg]

I think ruf is in same spot brown was a few years ago. Hope news is good about d young ankle.

Posted by: The Hook | Monday, March 04, 2013 at 08:07 PM

If Ruf continues to struggle and if Brown continues to rake (neither of which are certainties, despite the talk on BL lately), I'd just as soon see Brown in RF and a Mayberry/Nix platoon in LF instead of Young. Those two are better defensively than Young and have as much power (and better walk skills) when used wisely. Young only made sense as an insurance policy in the even that Ruf and Brown both were unable to hold down a spot--if even one of them proves successfull, Nixberry can do whatever Young could give us.

[The Truth Injection]

Fatalotti: No. The point is the term takes on different meaning depending on who is batting. Again- it is a silly baseball term but it is clear how and why announcers use it.

[Fatalotti]

"Fatalotti: No. The point is the term takes on different meaning depending on who is batting."

That's exactly what I said, and why it bothers me. There are lots of other terms that actually do a good job of describing a hitter, by themselves.

[Fatalotti]

"Fatalotti: No. The point is the term takes on different meaning depending on who is batting."

That's exactly what I said, and why it bothers me. There are lots of other terms that actually do a good job of describing a hitter, by themselves.

[The Truth Injection]

I am getting off this circle.

[rolo]

Hook, disagree.

Ruf will get far more rope than they gave Brown becasue of an important difference:

He's a potential RH power bat.

At teh time Brown was first called up, Utley, Howard and Ibanez all populated the lineup, so there was less "need" for someone from that side of the plate.

Also, Ruf is far older than was Brown. It's sink or swim time, and they should find out which it will be.

[Iceman]

If the important pitchers on this team avoid catastrophic injury, they're making the playoffs. Adams is part of that group.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

That Raul Ibanez is a real professional hitter.

btw, Tried to catch some local coverage of today's game on post-gazette.com. Doesn't exist. I think the reporter they sent to cover camp is just hangin at the beach.

[Bubba]

I think if we outlawed the term "professional hitter" and every other baseball cliché that is devoid of any actual meaning our broadcast crew would provide us with more quiet time than Harry and Whitey ever managed to do.

Let's get JW to use his clout with Comcast to make that happen.

[rolo]

Zo has a bit of a writeup on DYoung's visit to the doctor and perception of Lannan.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130304&content_id=42260570&notebook_id=42260784&vkey=notebook_phi&c_id=phi

[jbird]

Unless Ruf goes on a tear, he'll probably end up in AAA to start the year. But that was always the most likely outcome.

[NEPP]

Question: Can one be both "scrappy" and a "professional hitter" or are the terms not able to be applied to the same player?

Also, can a defender be "scrappy" and "slick-gloved"?

[Gsl]

"Let's get JW to use his clout with Comcast to make that happen."

This supports my conspiracy theory that JW is actually clout!

[jbird]

I think a scrappy player is an ugly/under-talented but effective white player. I don't think they can be a slick gloved player. Seems like there would be some overlap in a Venn Diagram between scrappy and professional hitters.

[NEPP]

Polanco was "slick gloved" and a "professional hitter"

[lorecore]

jbird: who makes the team over Ruf?

Revere, Brown, Mayberry, Nix, Ruf seem like the logical fit to me.

Rule 5 guy and Jermaine Mitchell are the only other possible contenders in my opinion, and they are far off.

[lorecore]

Hamels vs Dominician Team today, should be interesting to see how he fares.

[rolo]

lore, yep, Hamels is likely to face a squad populated by MLB players.

It will be a good test, though, as we know, it's ST so he may be working on some stuff and not necessarily produce good results.

[rolo]

Murph says Papa scratched due to illness:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies/Morning-rundown-Inciarte-leading-off-Brown-batting-third-roster-talk.html

[rolo]

Papa = Pap

[rolo]

Murph also has a new projected roster up:

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20130305_Projecting_the_Phillies__Opening_Day_roster.html

Inciarte on the opening day roster and Ruf to AAA.

Does Murph know something we don't?