Inside The Phillies

Harper, Schwarber, Moniak Flaunt Power, Phillies Clobber Tigers

The Detroit Tigers visited the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater Sunday at BayCare Ballpark.

Ben Silver

© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark, the Philadelphia Phillies did what they were built to do... mash baseballs.

2021 National League MVP Bryce Harper had his best game of the spring, one in which he'd already hit four home runs. In the first inning Harper hit his fifth spring training home run.

He followed that display of power with a two-base hit to lead off the third. Harper continued to pummel the ball in his third at-bat. That time he mashed a 122.8 mph fly ball out to right which Detroit Tigers right fielder Victor Reyes managed to snag at the wall.

Harper wasn't done though. His fourth plate appearance in the sixth, he knocked his second home run over the day, his sixth of the spring, over the left field wall, extending the Phillies lead to four.

Harper wasn't the only Phillie outfielder to display his power Sunday. In fact, Kyle Schwarber lead off the ballgame with a monster home run of his own, this one hit over 133 mph and nearly 450 feet.

The Phillies' bats stayed hot when 2016's first overall pick Mickey Moniak strode to the plate in the fourth.

Moniak clobbered his fourth home run of the spring off Tigers' starter Casey Mize, then continued to terrorize Tiger pitching in the sixth when Jose Cisnero took the mound.

Following a walk by Bryson Stott, Moniak gave the Phillies the lead in the sixth with an opposite field shot after Tigers center fielder Akil Baddoo had tied the game with a home run of his own in the top half of the inning.

While Phillie hitters pounded Tigers pitching on one side of the ball, Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola, had his best outing of the spring on the mound.

Though he continued to struggle with the long ball, allowing a Spencer Torkelson shot in the second, Nola was as efficient as possible through 70 pitches and 5.1 innings.

That home run was the only baserunner Nola allowed, striking out nine and walking none. For his last start before the regular season begins, the Phillies could not have asked more of their Opening Day starter.

However, Phillie relievers could not live up to the high bar that Nola had set. Jonathan Hennigen allowed Baddoo's two-run game-tying homer.

While Dillon Maples allowed two Tiger home runs, one to Victor Reyes and another to Gage Workman.

In the seventh, José Alvarado made his first appearance of the spring. He was characteristically wild, but induced a double play and a strikeout following a lead-off walk.

Reliever Michael Kelly came in to pitch the ninth for the Phillies in a one-run game. He allowed a lead-off single, enabling the go-ahead run to come to the plate, but struck out the next two batters and forced a fly-out from Josh Crouch to end the game in the Phillies favor 8-7.

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Ben Silver
BEN SILVER

Ben Silver is deputy editor for Inside the Phillies. A graduate of Boston University, Ben formerly covered the Phillies for PhilliesNation.com. Follow him on Twittter @BenHSilver.

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