Braves 5, Phillies 1: Touted prospect Mick Abel dazzles in cameo start vs. Atlanta’s stars

NORTH PORT, Fla. — Say this for Mick Abel: He made the most of his cameo.

A week after the Phillies sent him to minor-league camp, but with injuries and split-squad games chipping away at the pitching depth, Abel returned for a Saturday night road game and dazzled in two scoreless innings of a 5-1 loss to the Braves.

The 21-year-old right-hander faced many of Atlanta’s regulars — Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Travis d’Arnaud, Michael Harris II, and Vaughn Grissom — and retired six of seven batters. Only Olson reached base, via a first-inning walk. Abel struck out Albies and Riley.

» READ MORE: Why Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh are keys to the Phillies’ making a big jump in 2023

“It definitely felt like a test when I first saw [the Braves’ lineup],” Abel said. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s awesome.’ It’s pretty cool to go up against those guys, and hopefully I can in the future a lot, too.”

Here’s the kicker: Abel got by against the Braves’ big bats despite throwing only fastballs and sliders. The slider is widely regarded as his best offspeed pitch.

“This kind of proves it can play at any level,” Abel said.

Abel is refining his emerging changeup, learning a new grip and altering his arm speed. He candidly said he didn’t need a third pitch to dominate hitters in high school and even the low minors.

» READ MORE: Don’t forget about Mick Abel, the other half of the Phillies’ best pitching prospect duo in 20 years

But the results against the Braves notwithstanding, he knows he’ll need it more to get out advanced hitters a second and third time through the lineup.

“I was pretty fastball-slider heavy in high school, but that was three years ago now,” Abel said. “Things have changed a lot. If I’m going to go up against these types of hitters every day, I need to have third and fourth options that I can put in for strikes.”

At the plate: Brandon Marsh slugged a leadoff home run against Braves starter Dylan Dodd, which was notable because Dodd is left-handed. Marsh will get a chance to play more regularly against lefties. Marsh also got robbed of an extra-base hit in the third inning by Harris — and tipped his cap to the Braves’ center fielder.

What stood out: Alec Bohm got his first action of the spring at first base. When the Phillies use Rhys Hoskins as a DH, Bohm could move from third base to first, with Edmundo Sosa stepping in at third base. ... Hard-throwing right-hander Yunior Marte continued his solid spring by retiring Riley and d’Arnaud for the final two outs of the fifth inning. Marté is a candidate, perhaps even the favorite, to claim the final bullpen spot.

Quotable: “All he has to do is be around the zone. He doesn’t necessarily have to have great command because the stuff’s overpowering. If he can do that, he’s going to be successful.” — manager Rob Thomson on Abel’s ability to harness his command, perhaps the last step before he graduates to the majors

» READ MORE: Phillies takeaways as opening day looms: Case for Scott Kingery, who’s having best camp, and more

On deck: Right-handed reliever Luis Ortiz will face the Red Sox at 1:05 p.m. Sunday in Clearwater, Fla. Ortiz was an offseason waiver claim from the Giants and figures to provide depth at triple A.