The Philadelphia Phillies have many questions regarding what to do with their aging veterans. Jimmy Rollins is gone, but what they will do with Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley still remains unanswered. For now, these four players are still together, and they are playing in the Grapefruit League as if they plan to stay together.
The Phillies entered play on Sunday with a record of 8-5. They sent split squads to take on the A.L. East's Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Howard was one of three Phillies to go deep as the team defeated the Red Sox 11-4. Howard's home run (2) in the sixth was the game's final score and marked the fifth inning out of the first six in which the Phillies scored at least once. Howard had two RBI on the day as he also doubled home a run in the first.
Jordan Danks and Cord Phelps also went yard. Danks hit a solo shot (1) in the bottom of the second, and Phelps hit his (1) with two men aboard in the fourth.
The Phillies also got RBI from Carlos Ruiz, Utley, Odubel Herrera, and Freddy Galvis, who had two.
Jonathan Papelbon (W: 1-0, 3.00 ERA) pitched the fourth inning for the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits. Justin Masterson (L: 1-1, 6.48) took the loss for Boston. He started and pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits.
Boston scored twice in the first on Daniel Nava's two-run shot (1), scoring Jemile Weeks ahead of him. They scored two more in the fourth on Howard's throwing error and then Blake Swihart's RBI single.
The Yankees scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to break a 1-1 tie. Chase Headley led off the inning with his first spring home run (1). Later in the inning, Slade Heathcott singled home Darin Mastroianni.
The Phillies scored in the top of the eighth on an Andres Blanco RBI groundout, but they had no more base runners afterward for the remainder of the game.
The Yankees scored in the first on a Brian McCann sacrifice fly, and the Phillies tied the game in the seventh on Dominic Brown's run-scoring single.
David Carpenter (W: 1-0, 6.75 ERA) got the win despite giving up both late Phillies runs. He walked one and struck out one.
Kevin Slowey (L: 2-1, 2.35) allowed the Yankees' runs in the seventh to suffer the loss. He pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed only one hit, Headley's home run.