Blue Jays get contributions throughout lineup in win
PHILADELPHIA -- In their last starts of the spring, Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick and Blue Jays counterpart Josh Johnson each likely would have preferred better results. The two right-handed starters struggled Saturday in front of 40,811 at Citizens Bank Park in the second leg of the two-game On-Deck Series -- a 10-4 win for Toronto.
Both gave up four runs in the third inning and both were gone soon after, with the Blue Jays tacking on five more runs against John Lannan, Antonio Bastardo and Zach Miner. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion combined to go 4-for-7 with three runs scored and three RBIs, and Bautista's first-inning homer off the left-field foul pole put the Blue Jays on the board.
Philadelphia will now travel to Atlanta, where it will face National League East rivals Atlanta in a 7:10 p.m. ET start at Turner Field. The Blue Jays will return home, where they will unveil their new lineup at Rogers Center on Tuesday against Cleveland.
"I think these two games here were good for us," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "It was a lot like the regular season in a big stadium, a pretty good crowd. It helps rev things up a little bit. They are ready to go."
The Blue Jays jumped on Kendrick, the Phillies' fourth starter, in the third inning, when Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Encarnacion all drove in runs.
The Phillies offense immediately responded, matching Toronto's four-run third in the bottom of the frame, which John Mayberry, Jr., started with a home run. Chase Utley drove in one with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Michael Young drove in two more with a double off the right-field fence.
It was the only poor inning of the spring for Johnson, and in Gibbons' mind, a good thing to get out of the way before the season officially begins.
"I got to find my delivery," said Johnson, who finished 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA this spring. "I had hoped to pitch a night game, but I'll get that in a week. In the fourth, I rushed a little bit, but I calmed down and worked out of it. The season is about making adjustments while the game is going on -- pitch-to-pitch, hitter-to-hitter. I'm glad to get that out of the way."