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What we learned from the Phillies’ spring training opener

Weston Wilson drove in four runs in the 7-4 win, and manager Rob Thomson said winning pitcher Andrew Baker was "excellent."

Weston Wilson is congratulated at the plate by Jake Cave after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning Saturday against the Yankees.
Weston Wilson is congratulated at the plate by Jake Cave after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning Saturday against the Yankees.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies won their Grapefruit League home spring opener on Saturday, 7-4, over the Yankees ahead of a sellout crowd of 9,534 at BayCare Ballpark. Playing their first game under MLB’s new rule changes, the Phillies committed no violations. The pitch clock helped speed up the game, especially in the later innings, to a brisk 2 hours, 34 minutes. Here are a few quick observations from Clearwater:

Baker impresses: Manager Rob Thomson said Andrew Baker, who earned the win on Saturday, was “probably the most impressive pitcher on the day.” Baker, a 22-year-old right-handed reliever, threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. He’s a name to keep an eye on this spring, as the Phillies have an open spot in their bullpen, and fits the profile of optinonable depth the Phillies say they’re looking for.

“He was excellent,” Thomson said. “And high-end stuff. If he can harness the strike zone, we’ve got something. And he did that today.”

Baker is coming off of a strong 2022 minor-league season in which he jumped from high-A to double-A and recorded 3.98 ERA. He allowed only one earned run in 10⅔ innings at double-A Reading last season. He credits a change to his delivery suggested by director of pitching development Brian Kaplan to his success.

“I was in the windup, and we banged the whole windup last year and went to stretch, because that’s the simplest delivery,” Baker said. “And that immediately started helping me a lot. It took me about til midway last year for it to finally click, and when it did, it just went up from there.”

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On the mound: Nick Nelson made a scoreless one-inning start for the Phillies, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout. Louis Head, who was signed a minor-league contract with this offseason, looked sharp, allowing just one hit over one inning. Right-handed reliever James McArthur did as well, allowing no hits, walks, or runs over one inning. Right-handed pitcher Francisco Morales, who made his big-league debut last season but struggled with his command, pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

Who stood out: Weston Wilson, a 28-year-old third baseman who signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies in January. Wilson, who played in right field for the Phillies on Saturday went 2-for-2 with four RBIs, a walk, and a home run.

Next: The Phillies play the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. The game will be streamed on WIP and televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia.