The Phillies rotation appears set with one week left in spring training | Extra Innings

Both Matt Moore and Chase Anderson had their least effective starts of spring training over the weekend, but it appears as if the two veteran pitchers will open the season in manager Joe Girardi’s starting rotation. Girardi wasn’t prepared to make that announcement after Sunday’s 5-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Detroit Tigers, but he conceded the circumstances.

Moore and Anderson have stayed on their regular Grapefruit League turns this month while Spencer Howard (back spasms) and Vince Velasquez (oblique) have been slowed by injuries.

“I think you have to look at everyone involved and kind of look to see how some people are feeling at the end,” Girardi said. “We have not made decisions yet, but obviously with the lack of innings the other guys have not been able to throw affects them, but we’ll see where they are at when they throw in a game here soon.”

Howard threw a bullpen session Sunday, but has not appeared in a game since March 10. Velasquez is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Monday, but has not thrown in a big-league game since March 9.

Moore, after allowing a single run on three hits in his first eight innings this spring, gave up two runs on five hits and a walk over four innings during Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays, But, overall, he has had a solid spring and earned a job in the rotation.

Anderson, who signed a $4 million one-year deal last month, gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings Sunday. He had previously allowed just three hits in seven scoreless innings. His overall body of work should give the 33-year-old right-hander the No. 5 spot in a rotation that will also include Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Zach Eflin.

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— Bob Brookover (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

» READ MORE: Phillies’ pitching depth could be tested after Vince Velasquez’ oblique injury

While Moore and Anderson have pitched well enough to be part of the rotation, a couple of former Phillies starting pitchers have performed well in other camps during spring training.

Down in Fort Myers, Fla., the Boston Red Sox are excited about Nick Pivetta, and out in Arizona, the Oakland Athletics have a very favorable first impression of Cole Irvin.

Pivetta, 28, finished last season strong by going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his only two starts for the Red Sox after posting a 5.50 ERA in 92 career appearances over four seasons with the Phillies. Pivetta has allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk in eight innings this spring. He has also struck out eight, and it appears as if he will slot in as Boston’s fifth starter.

It’s hard to blame the Phillies for giving up on Pivetta, but it will sting if he becomes a success story in Beantown, especially since the return from the Red Sox worked out so poorly for the Phillies last season. In an effort to bolster their beleaguered bullpen, the Philies acquired Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree. Instead of steadying things for the relief corps, those two supplied gasoline for the fire, posting a 9.27 ERA in a combined 25 games. The two bullpen additions allowed 40 hits, including 11 home runs, in 22 1/3 innings.

Worse still, the Phillies also gave up prospect Connor Seabold, 25, in the deal. Seabold, the Phillies’ third-round pick in 2017, is listed 11th among Boston’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America and No. 15 by MLB.com. In his last minor-league season with the Phillies two years ago, he posted a 2.24 ERA and struck out 58 in 56 1/3 innings before also pitching impressively in the Arizona Fall League, allowing just seven hits and striking out 22 in seven innings.

Irvin, meanwhile, has strung together some impressive Cactus League performances for the Athletics, allowing just two runs on nine hits and a walk over 12 innings. The 27-year-old lefty was traded for cash considerations at the end of January. It was a deal that cleared a 40-man roster spot for Moore, who was signed to a one-year contract worth $3 million.

Irvin had a 6.75 ERA in 19 career games with the Phillies, but made only three big-league starts after compiling a 34-15 record and 3.07 ERA mostly as a starter in the minor leagues.

And, just in case you were wondering, Jake Arrieta has a 2.89 ERA in three starts with the Cubs this spring.

» READ MORE: Tigers 5, Phillies 3: Roman Quinn’s speed can be an asset, even if he doesn’t win center-field job

Catcher J.T. Realmuto, sidelined all spring by a fractured right thumb he suffered before the start of camp, was in the original version of the Phillies starting lineup Sunday, but was then scratched because of “general soreness.”

Amid a stable of hard-throwing relievers, veteran Tony Watson figures to be a 35-year-old left-handed bullpen option who relies on guile more than power for Girardi.

With Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler at the top of their rotation, the Phillies feel good about their starters, but every other team in the NL East has the right to feel the same way.

Turning 30 has been an ominous sign for many of the game’s great catchers. Realmuto explains why he believes he can buck that trend during the life of his five-year contract with the Phillies.

» READ MORE: Blue Jays 3, Phillies 1: Scott Kingery gets a needed hit, but strikeouts continue to plague him

Tonight: Aaron Nola faces the New York Yankees in Tampa, 6:35 p.m.

Tomorrow: Zack Wheeler is scheduled to pitch against Toronto in Clearwater, 6:05 p.m.

Wednesday: Another meeting with Detroit, this time in Lakeland, 1:05 p.m.

March 29: Grapefruit League finale vs. Toronto, 1:05 p.m.

April 1: Season opener vs. Atlanta at Citizens Bank Park, 3:05 p.m.

Sorry to do this to you, but we are going back to the historically bad bullpen of 2020 one more time for our stat of the day. The midseason trade additions of Workman, Hembree, David Hale, and David Phelps combined to allow 39 earned runs on 68 hits in 41 innings for an 8.56 ERA.

Girardi has predicted that all four pitchers will bounce back this season, and if the early spring-training returns mean anything, he could be right. Those same four pitchers have a combined 1.14 ERA this spring. They have allowed three earned runs on 16 hits and struck out 33 in 23 2/3 innings.

Send questions by email or on Twitter @brookob.

Question: Who’s the everyday center fielder? — @nonicjr via Twitter

Answer: That’s a nice and direct question you posed to my colleague Scott Lauber last week, @nonicjr. Unfortunately, my answer is not going to be nearly as nice or direct. With one week and eight games left on the Grapefruit League schedule, the answer remains a firm “I don’t know.” After hot starts, Odubel Herrera and Mickey Moniak have cooled off, while Roman Quinn has heated up some and showed his value Sunday by entering the game as a pinch-runner, stealing a base, and scoring on a grounder.

Adam Haseley. meanwhile, is healing more quickly than expected from a quad injury that has sidelined him since March 4, and he might even get into a game this week. If he could put together a series of strong performances to finish spring training, he still might be able to take the job. Scott Kingery had to be considered the favorite heading into spring training, but his abysmal spring has made him a question mark.

I honestly don’t know who is going to win the job, and I don’t think the Phillies know yet, either.