Phillies pitchers walk nine batters in 10-2 exhibition-opener loss to Detroit Tigers

In their first game in front of fans in 353 days, Phillies pitchers gave up six runs in the first inning and walked a total of nine batters.

Fans watch from the outfield lawn Sunday, as the Phillies opened their exhibition season against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published Feb. 28, 2021, 4:21 p.m. ET

Eleven batters, 50 pitches, three bases-loaded walks, and only two outs into the first inning Sunday, Phillies manager Joe Girardi did something he undoubtedly wishes he could have done last season.

He asked for mercy.

In the Phillies’ exhibition opener -- a 10-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers in seven innings in Lakeland, Fla. -- Girardi exercised a new spring-training wrinkle, calling to end the inning prior to three outs because a pitcher -- in this case, two of them (starter Iván Nova and reliever Jonathan Hennigan) -- had thrown more than 20 pitches. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch agreed, and the six-run inning came to a forgiving end.

It was an inauspicious beginning, from a pitching standpoint, to the Phillies’ first game in front of fans in 353 days. (The announced attendance at 8,500-seat Joker Marchant Stadium was 2,000 people.) It also called to mind the big innings -- most of them against the bullpen -- that sunk last season.

Adam Haseley struck the first blow in the center-field competition with an opposite-field home run on the second pitch of the game from Tigers lefty Tyler Alexander. Otherwise, there wasn’t much for the Phillies to latch on to.

But nobody, least of all Girardi, will make too much of any of it.

“I don’t think, at this time, you can do a lot to hurt your chances, but you can help your chances, in a sense,” Girardi said. “Because I give the guys the benefit of the doubt the first couple weeks.”

Nova, an 11-year veteran who signed a minor-league contract to make an impression in spring training, faced six batters, threw 27 pitches, and recorded one out. He gave up a leadoff homer to Willi Castro, an infield hit and two walks and was charged with five runs.

Girardi could’ve asked to end the inning there. Instead, he replaced Nova with Hennigan, a reliever who reached the double-A level in 2019. He faced five batters, allowed one hit and three walks, and prompted Girardi to act.

The Phillies finished with four hits, including Haseley’s homer and a double by Mickey Moniak. Of their six pitchers, only Bryan Mitchell didn’t allow a run. He tossed two scoreless innings, striking out three.

Aaron Nola will start the home exhibition opener Monday against the Baltimore Orioles at just-renamed BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.