Rise and Phight: 3/15/2023

The Phillies lost to the Braves yesterday by a final score of 15-5. Ozzie Albies and Marcel Ozuna combined for 7 RBIs as Cristopher Sanchez struggled to stand out with a chance for the fifth spot in the rotation still on the line. The only positive note for the Phillies was that Nick Castellanos belted a two-run home run to center field. Well and no one got hurt.

You probably turned this game off in the first inning if you even watched at all. Don’t worry, real baseball is fast approaching us.

On to the links.

Phillies News:

• Team Israel MVP Garett Stubbs returned from the WBC with knee soreness and will undergo imaging. But there will still be a Stubbs playing for Israel!
• Nick Castellanos is feeling good about his swing after his home run yesterday.
• Ranger Suárez threw for the first time after returning from the WBC with forearm stiffness and doesn’t think he’ll miss any time once the season starts.

MLB News:

• Freddie Freeman suffered a strained hamstring while playing for Team Canada at the WBC. It is a sad day for Canada and therefore, the world.
• Former top prospect and Braves World Series hero Ian Anderson was optioned to Triple A after a rough second half in ‘22 and a poor spring showing.
• Tim Anderson is making the most of his time playing for Team USA, including playing his first career game at second base.
• Team Puerto Rico’s perfect game might not be “real” but it's real to them.
• Rio Gomez, son of the late ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez, made his WBC debut for Team Columbia with his mother in attendance. In a performance that surely would have made his father proud, Gomez pitched 1.1 hitless innings with two strikeouts.