Phillies Shut Down Astros

               The Phillies pitching staff completely shut down the Houston Astros in this afternoons contest, as the Phillies cruised to a 7-1 victory.  Cole Hamels got the start on the mound and continued to look great thus far in Grapefruit League play.
 Hamels threw five innings allowing 1 hit and 1 run, while striking out 1 and walking 1.  That hit would be the only one the Astros would collect on the afternoon, as the Phillies pitching staff completely dominated them.  Tyler Cloyd, Zach Miner, Jeremy Horst, and Justin De Fratus each tossed a hit less and scoreless inning respectively, with Cloyd and De Fratus striking out one a piece and Miner and Horst each striking out 2.  While the pitching was shutting down the Astros, the hitters were also dominating the opposition.
                The Phillies collected 11 hits on the day on their way to scoring 7 runs.  Michael Young went 2 for 3 on the day with a double, improving his spring average to .371, but the majority of damage done by Phillies hitters today was by players who will be on the bench when the team is at full strength in the season.  Yuniesky Betancourt replaced Young at third base and went 1 for 1 with an RBI.  Laynce Nix had a 2 for 3 day at the plate with a solo home run as he battles for a spot on the Phillies Opening Day roster.  Jermaine Mitchell took over for Darin Ruf after he exited the game from being hit by a pitch, and went 1 for 1 while scoring twice.  Reserve catcher Erik Kratz, who will most likely be the Opening Day catcher due to Carlos Ruiz's suspension, went 1 for 3 on the day with a two-run triple.  The strongest day at the plate by far belonged to young infielder Freddy Galvis  who got the start at shortstop today.  Galvis went 3 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI's, which improved his spring average to .308.  The young utility infielder who has an extremely smooth glove continues to impress at the plate and could see significant time this year around the infield, allowing Charlie Manuel to give his aging infielders an occasional day off.  So while Galvis had a great day, the shining stars of today's contest were definitely the Phillies pitching staff who collected their second one-hitter of the spring.  The Phillies have the day off tomorrow and will return to action Tuesday against the Tigers.  Go Phils!