Adam Haseley of the Phillies
Adam Haseley opened his spring campaign on the right note on Sunday, clubbing a leadoff homer in a Phillies 10-2 loss to the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. 

Haseley is battling with others, including Scott Kingery and Roman Quinn, for the starting role in center field. 

The 24-year-old hit .278 last season over 40 games but posted just a .690 OPS and missed some time with a left wrist sprain. He finished Sunday 1-for-2 with the homer and a walk. 

Manager Joe Girardi has said he doesn't do much evaluating during the first two weeks of camp, but an exclamation point this early on certainly helps Haseley's odds moving forward. 

"He had good at-bats today," Girardi said. "I don't think this early on you can do a lot to hurt your chances, but you can certainly help your chances. I give the guys the benefit of the doubt the first couple weeks." 

Mickey Moniak, Jeff Mathis, and C.J. Chatham collected the only other hits for the Phillies. 


On the mound, Ivan Nova failed to get out of the opening frame, surrendering five runs on three hits and a pair of walks. Johnathan Hennigan closed out the inning, but not before issuing three walks of his own while allowing another run to cross the plate. 

Nova, 34, is in camp as a non-roster invitee looking to secure a rotation spot. He posted an 8.53 ERA over four starts with the Tigers last season before going down with right triceps tendinitis. He has a 4.38 career ERA to go along with a 1.36 WHIP over parts of 11 seasons. "

"He was just off a bit today," Girardi said. "He wasn't attacking the zone. He got into some long counts and walked some people. I don't really make too much out of it, it's the first outing, and he's continuing to get his strength and the crispness of his pitches." 

Fans in the stands 
Move the cutouts to storage. Real fans sat in the stands on Sunday and the Phillies will see more on Monday as the club opens the home portion of their spring schedule. 

"It's always great to be out there, but seeing fans in the stands makes it even better for all of us," Girardi said. "We are trying to get some normalcy back to life and this is a sign. It's a good sign." 

What's next 
The Phillies host the Orioles in Monday afternoon’s Grapefruit League home opener at newly-named BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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