Nola makes his spring debut as Phillies fall to the Tigers in Grapefruit League action

The Phillies managed just one hit all afternoon, courtesy of Johan Rojas, who is still relegated to designated hitter duties as he works through a shoulder injury. He singled to right, didn’t slide into second as the Tigers tried to turn two, and instead got clipped by the throw to first. Manager Rob Thomson said he’s fine and wasn’t scheduled to play Sunday anyway.

There were a few close calls. Rodolfo Castro nearly broke through, launching a fastball deep to center—only for Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez to make a leaping grab at the warning track.

On the mound, Aaron Nola made his first start of the spring, striking out two in two innings. He allowed one hit—a changeup that came right back up the middle and nearly took his head off. Welcome to spring training. Nola’s velocity was down 1-2 mph, but that’s probably nothing to be concerned about at this point.

Next up? A split-squad Sunday. Half the Phillies will host the Orioles at BayCare Ballpark (1:05 p.m.), while the other half heads to Dunedin to take on the Blue Jays (1:07 p.m.). Cristopher Sánchez gets the nod against Baltimore, while Taijuan Walker takes the mound against Toronto. NBCSP and 94.1 WIP will have coverage.