Franco homers as Phillies' 3B battle starts fast

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Manny Machado is a long way away from Phillies camp. The superstar third baseman is now a memory for the Phillies' Maikel Franco, who spent most of his offseason hearing rumors that he could be traded if the Phillies were to sign Machado.

Instead, Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres, meaning Franco and Scott Kingery are competing for playing time this spring as the 2019 season approaches.

Franco smashed a solo home run to left field in the fifth inning Friday in a 3-2 victory over the Rays in their Grapefruit League opener at Charlotte Sports Park. Kingery tripled and scored on a wild play in the first, when Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier tripped and fell, and Rays shortstop Willy Adames’ errant throw home allowed Kingery to score. Kingery had to run hard out of the batter’s box to score on the play.

"When you come into camp you always have a competition," Franco said. "I don't even think about that. I'm just trying to get better. I'm just trying to do my job."

Franco, who made a couple of nice defensive plays moving to his left, seemed most proud afterward that he walked with the bases loaded in the third inning to score the team's second run.

"After that a two-strike homer," Franco said. "That's the way that I want to keep working."

Cozens hopes to shine

The Phillies have six outfielders on the 40-man roster, and they could have seven in the coming days if they sign Bryce Harper. Dylan Cozens entered camp probably sixth on the outfield depth chart behind Andrew McCutchen, Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, Roman Quinn and Aaron Altherr.

Cozens went 0-for-1 with two walks and a stolen base against the Rays.

"We had a talk in the outfield before the game," manager Gabe Kapler said. "He's a super confident guy. He thinks that he's one of the most talented players on the field, and he is one of the most talented players on the field. It was kind of nice. We had a moment where he understands that the ball is in his court. The place that he has to take a step forward is putting the ball in play more frequently. If he does that, there's so much power, there's so much athleticism. Yes, he can roam around center field. Yes, he can run the bases. He stays relatively healthy. He's durable. It's up to him. Can he put the ball in play a little more frequently? If he can he's a Major Leaguer."

The pitch timer is here

The Phillies and Rays made history, when they became the first big league teams to play with a pitch timer in a game. Major League Baseball is introducing the clock this spring, although no decision has been made if it will be used in the regular season.

The timer has been used for years in the Minor Leagues.

Kapler said he and the coaching staff prepared his pitchers for the timer. However, only two of the team's eight pitchers (left-handers Austin Davis and James Pazos) have pitched more than one inning in the big leagues, so nobody really noticed.

"A lot of them were like, 'Yeah, that's normal for us,'" Kapler said.

Phillies left-hander Cole Irvin allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings against the Rays. He allowed three hits and struck out three.

"There really isn't too much of a deal," Irvin said about the timer. "I dealt with it in the Minors for a few years, so I don't think there's too much to be said. For a big leaguer, I don't know how they feel about it, but for me, I'm used to trying to release a pitch every 12-13 seconds. That's kind of where my time frame is. I work quick. Even if the time clock wasn't there, I'd still probably pitch that quick."

MLB said it will use the pitch timer in three phases this spring: First, without enforcement so players and umpires can become familiar with the system. Second, early next week umpires will issue reminders to pitchers and hitters who violate the rule, but no ball-strike penalties will be assessed. Third, late this spring, depending on the status of negotiations with the players' association, umpires will be instructed to assess ball-strike penalties for violations.

Up next

The Phillies host the Pirates on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET in their Grapefruit League home opener at Spectrum Field in Clearwater. Phillies right-hander Enyel De Los Santos starts against Pirates left-hander Steven Brault.