Morrow struggles with command against Phils
Right-hander gives up four runs on five hits, three walks in five innings
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Phillies roughed up right-hander Brandon Morrow for four runs over five innings in a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in a game that was called in the eighth due to rain.
Outfielder Ben Revere had an RBI single and Tony Gwynn added a sacrifice fly as Philadelphia took advantage of a Toronto pitcher that at times struggled with his control. The Phillies weren't able to make a lot of hard contact, but made the most of their situations with runners in scoring position.
Morrow's difficulty began in the second inning, when he allowed back-to-back singles to Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown. Neither ball was particularly well struck, but Morrow compounded his issues with a four-pitch walk to John Mayberry, which loaded the bases. Cody Asche and Cameron Rupp then grounded out to account for the first two runs of the game.
The Phillies' offense continued in the fourth with another pair of back-to-back singles. Rupp then walked on four pitches to once again load the bases, Gwynn hit a sacrifice fly and Revere followed with his RBI single. Morrow was charged with all four of the runs on five hits and three walks, while throwing 49 of his 74 pitches for strikes.
"Not bad, not bad," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Morrow's outing. "They threw a few hits out there, found some holes, flipped some in, but overall, I thought he looked pretty good. ... It was coming out pretty good. Command is the thing he has to tighten up a little bit, but he will. I've said all along, if he's healthy, we're in good shape."
Toronto was unable to generate any type of offense against David Buchanan. Philadelphia's right-hander only pitched two innings, but didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out two. Left-hander Mario Hollands then entered and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
"Buchanan, Hollands, [Phillippe] Aumont, good outings from all of them," said Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg.
The Blue Jays didn't get on the scoreboard until Colby Rasmus hit a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was Rasmus' fourth extra-base hit of the spring. They added two more to come within one run of Philly in the bottom of the seventh on Brett Carroll's double.
Before rain shortened the game in the middle of the eighth inning, the Phillies tacked on two more runs on doubles from Rupp and Gwynn in the top of the frame.
Up Next: Left-hander J.A. Happ will take the mound when the Blue Jays visit the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., for a 1:05 ET start on Tuesday afternoon. Happ is expected to increase his pitch count to more than 80 and will be followed in the bullpen by right-hander Esmil Rogers. Tune in to an exclusive webcast to listen to the game.