Power surge for Darick Hall, Matt Kroon, as Phillies tie Tigers 6-6 in Grapefruit League opener

The Phillies had 12 hits — two of them two-run home runs hit by first baseman Darick Hall and right fielder Matt Kroon — in a 6-6 tie at the Tigers’ Publix Field in Lakeland, Fla., on Friday in their spring training opener.

Who stood out: In his first at-bat of the spring, catcher Donny Sands hit an infield single that came off his bat at 102.2 mph, while facing a pitcher with six seasons of MLB experience in Eduardo Rodriguez. That power was topped only by DH Jhailyn Ortiz, who in the top of the third, hit a single to center field that came off his bat at 108.7 mph. Hall’s two-run home run, which came in the top of the fifth, traveled 364 feet.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi wasn’t too surprised by Hall’s moonshot.

“I mean I’ve seen a lot of him in BP,” he said of Hall. “He’s got big-time power. Contact is the key for him. If he does that, he’s very dangerous.”

Quotable: “I thought we had a number of good at-bats today,” Girardi said. “I thought [shortstop] Bryson [Stott] had a tremendous at-bat today. He didn’t get a hit, but… those things, he’s taking balls that are down and below in the zone, those things carry on, and then you have more good at-bats. The numbers are going to work their way out.”

Next: The Phillies’ next spring training game is at 1:05 p.m. Saturday at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. It will be broadcast NBC Sports Philadelphia and on 94.1 FM WIP.