By Lewis Gould
The Phillies may have found their opening day starter.
And his name is Aaron Nola.
Maikel Franco’s sixth-inning infield single not only broke up a Tigers’ Grapefruit League no-hit bid, it drove in Ryan Jackson with the go-ahead run, sending the Phillies to a 4-3 win over the Tigers on a blustery yesterday at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Anibal Sanchez, who missed nearly a month with triceps inflammation, celebrated his first game action this spring with four hitless innings while Miguel Cabrera knocked in his eighth run.
Sanchez overcame a leadoff walk in the first inning with eight groundouts — one of them a double play — and three strikeouts from there.
Phillies starter Nola (above), facing the Tigers for the second time spring, countered Sanchez with six innings of two-hit ball in by far his best outing of the spring. Cabrera’s third-inning RBI single comprised the only damage.
Though new Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez followed Sanchez with a scoreless fifth, overcoming a two-out walk, Justin Wilson paid for back-to-back walks opening the sixth. David Lough’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position forTyler Goeddel’s RBI groundout. And then Franco, the Grapefruit League’s home run leader, hit a ground ball up the middle that left second baseman Andrew Romine with no play as Jackson crossed home plate.
Cedric Hunter added a seventh-inning homer — his third of the spring — off Blaine Hardy, continuing the left-hander’s struggles.
Up next for Phillies: Jerad Eickhoff makes his Grapefruit League debut today against the Twins at Bright House Field at 1:05 p.m. ET on MLB.TV. Eickhoff has been sidelined this spring after he fractured his right thumb last month. The right-hander has pitched six innings in minor league games, so the Phillies believe he is on track to make the opening day roster.
