Phillies Blown Out by New-Look Blue Jays

                The Phillies pitching staff was manhandled today in a match up against the Blue Jays and the newly acquired, 2012 NL Cy Young, R.A. Dickey, that saw the Phillies fall 11-6.  Cliff Lee got the start for the Phillies and was hit around quite a bit in his three innings pitched, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits.
 While Lee had a bad outing on the mound, Dickey was just as unfortunate for the Blue Jays.  The knuckleballer went three innings and also allowed 3 runs.  Young Tyler Cloyd took the mound next for the Phillies and got absolutely crushed, allowing 6 runs in two innings worth of work.  Michael Stutes and Justin Friend each contributed an inning a piece on the mound, allowing one run each.  The only Phillie to find success on the mound in today's contest was Chad Durbin.  The veteran reliever pitched one scoreless inning and has yet to allow a run in Grapefruit League play.  While the Phillies pitching staff was hit around by the new-look Blue Jays, who have quite a few pieces from the 2012 Marlins, the Jays pitching staff did not exactly have a great day either, they just simply weren't as bad.  The Phillies collected 6 runs on the day off of 8 hits that included 3 home runs.
                  Ryan Howard, Dom Brown, and Carlos Ruiz continued to impress at the plate so far through Grapefruit League play.  Howard had a 1 for 3 day that saw him hit a 2-run home run off of Dickey in the first inning.  After being fooled greatly by Dickey's knuckleball in the past, Howard seemed to be able to handle it today and continued to have a strong performance at the plate, and is now hitting .429 on the spring.  Dom Brown continued his strong showing as he fights for a starting spot in the Opening Day outfield.  Brown who is hitting .375 on the spring had a 1 for 3 day at the plate.  Carlos Ruiz continued his strong performance so far, going 1 for 2 with a home run off of Josh Johnson in the fourth inning.  The production from the Phillies' catcher position didn't end when Ruiz was lifted, as Erik Kratz also hit a home run after taking over behind the plate.  Kratz will most likely be the Opening Day starter, as Ruiz serves his 25 game suspension.  So while the pitching had a rough day, the Phillies hitting continued to impress early on.  The Phillies will be back in action tomorrow against Baltimore and Toronto in split-squad match-ups.  Go Phils!