Gamethread 3/22: Tigers at Phillies

Yay!

It’s finally here. The day that we as a fanbase can get a good look at the newest addition to the roster, Jake Arrieta. He’ll make his spring debut against the Detroit Tigers, a team that projects to be one of the worst in baseball this season. It’s a good team to begin against, as they’ll provide enough of a test to begin the spring, but also don’t have the firepower to rip him if he’s a little bit rusty.

It’ll be important to temper expectations a little bit today. As much as he proclaims himself to be ready for the season, this will be Arrieta’s first game action of the spring. Rust should be expected. If he’s not behind the eight-ball, all the better. But expect to see some missed locations, a little less bite on the breaking pitches. And don’t forget the most important part: it’s spring training. It doesn’t matter.

Here are the lineups for today. For the Tigers:

And for the Phillies:

The best part of today’s game. YOU CAN WATCH IT ON THE TELEVISION MACHINE! NBCSports+ is carrying today’s game (as if they would miss this), so you can watch it there and discuss it here. Good luck, Jake!