What Can Brown Do for You? Dom Brown Goes Yard

                The Phillies picked up their first win in Grapefruit League play, in a game at Bright House Field against the Yankees.  Kyle Kendrick got the nod for the start of the game as he tries to solidify a spot in the starting rotation.
In two innings, Kendrick allowed 3 hits and 1 run while recording 1 strikeout.  The Philles trailed the Yankees 3-1 when they came to bat in the 7th inning, after Zach Miner allowed 2 runs in the top of the inning.  This is when the Phillies younger players showed the promise that the organization has been hoping for.  Dom Brown hit a monstrous home run to center field, as he continues to impress early in the spring in his attempt to win an Opening Day starting job.  It was Brown's second home run of the spring and he is now hitting .429 in this short sample size.  Third base prospect Cody Asche followed this up with a two-out double after Laynce Nix grounded out.  Next to the plate was Tommy Joseph, a top catching prospect the Phillies acquired in a trade last season.  Joseph hit a home run to left field to take the lead for the Phillies, a lead they would not relinquish.  Left-hander Jeremy Horst came on in the ninth and picked up the save as the Phillies collected their first win of the spring 4-3 over the Yankees.
                 While the Phillies did manage to pull out a win, the game was not overly promising.  The Phillies were out-hit 12-5 by the Yankees, and had only collected 2 hits before the burst of power from the younger players in the 7th inning.  The pitchers allowed a good amount of hits, but did do a good job at stranding the runners and keeping the score within striking distance.  Although the offense could be considered lackluster on the day, there were some promising moments.  Aside from the power hitting of the young Phillies in the 7th inning, Ryan Howard continued to look strong at the plate.  Howard went 1 for 2 on the day with 1 walk and is now hitting .500 in the small sample of spring games so far this year.  Howard will be looking to bounce back after an injury ravaged 2012 that saw his power drop drastically, and so far reports have been promising.  On another note, Chase Utley who has had chronic knee problems the past two seasons was scratched from the lineup just before the start of the game.  While this could be concerning, Phillies fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as Utley was removed from the lineup due to a wet field from heavy rain earlier in the day.  So while the hitting still has some work to do, some players like Ryan Howard and Dom Brown have had an excellent start to Grapefruit League play.  The Phillies will return to action tomorrow when they visit the Minnesota Twins in a game that will be started by off-season signing John Lannan.  Go Phils!