Prospect Griff McGarry loses control as Phillies fall to Blue Jays
McGarry threw only 11 strikes in 24 pitches. The Jays roughed him up for three runs in two-thirds of an inning.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/EA7EY655GFCQ3NX7MO6X3HZ3JQ.jpg)
DUNEDIN, Fla. — In the fifth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Griff McGarry stepped onto the mound to make his second outing of the spring. In his first outing, against Miami, he struck out the side on 15 pitches. But on Monday, he struggled.
The Phillies pitching prospect induced a groundout from Daulton Varsho but then lost his control, throwing three pitches way out of the strike zone to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and hitting him with his fourth. He struck out Eduardo Escobar and allowed a single to Payton Henry and a walk to George Springer to load the bases.
» READ MORE: Griff McGarry hit rock bottom on the mound. But the Phillies think it can be a catalyst for change.
Bo Bichette followed with a two-run single and Vladimir Guerrero added an RBI single to give the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead. Of the 24 pitches McGarry threw, only 11 were strikes.
It was a slow day for the Phillies offensively, but manager Rob Thomson was happy with the overall at-bats — particularly Bryce Harper’s and Kyle Schwarber’s. The Phillies collected 10 hits and four walks with 12 strikeouts in the loss.
On the mound: Nick Nelson made his third start of the spring. He allowed one hit — a home run to Guerrero — over three innings, with one strikeout. Nelson has allowed six earned runs through six innings this spring.
Jose Ruiz came in after Nelson and pitched a scoreless fourth inning, allowing one hit with one strikeout.
“Very good,” Thomson said of Nelson. “One sinker that didn’t sink in an 0-0 count. Other than that, he was great. Soft contact. I thought the cutter, slider, whatever you want to call it, was really good. Changeup was good, and he threw strikes.”
» READ MORE: In an important spring, Phillies’ Cristian Pache feels ready: ‘My mind is stronger than it was before’
Who stood out: Johan Rojas laid down a bunt for a single in the second inning. Rojas has been working with Florida Complex League Phillies manager Shawn Williams on his bunting every morning, so Thomson was happy to see him execute it well in a game.
“I was extremely [happy],” Thomson said. “Because that’s got to be part of his game. Shawn Williams is working with him every morning on the half field and he’s getting better. And hopefully that gives him a little confidence to use it a little bit more, on his own. He doesn’t have to wait for me to tell him when to bunt. So that’s got to be part of his game moving forward.”
Quotable: “It was just scattered,” Thomson said of McGarry. “And I think he got the first guy out quick. And walked the next guy. I don’t know if that sped him up or not, but those are things that he needs to control, and I think we will. When he powers the ball through the zone, he’s got good enough stuff to get anybody out.”
On deck: The Phillies will play the Baltimore Orioles at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., on Tuesday at 1:05 p.m. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.