Back in Win Column, Triple-A Phils Shut Out Yankees

A combination of four Triple-A Phillies pitchers threw a three-hit shutout and Cesar Hernandez paced the offense with a three-hit day as the squad defeated the Yankees 4-0 Tuesday afternoon in Tampa.

Ethan Martin continued his strong spring campaign, pitched four innings and surrendering just one hit, but allowing five walks compared to four strikeouts. In relief of the right-hander was southpaw Joe Savery, who shook off a tough last outing to throw two perfect innings, striking out four in the process. Jake Diekman pitched the seventh and the eighth, allowing one hit but striking out four before Justin Friend closed out the game with a strikeout in the ninth. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the team, and upped its spring record to 6-4-1.

Martin, the sixth-best prospect in the Phillies system according to Baseball America, joined the organization at the 2012 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Upon joining Double-A Reading after the trade, the Georgia native went 5-0 with a 3.18 ERA in seven starts. This spring with the Triple-A Phillies in two starts, Martin threw nine scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out eight and walking eight.

Hernandez, a middle infielder, led the nine-hit attack for the Triple-A squad with his trio of hits, scoring a run and stealing a base in the process. OF Leandro Castro contributed a 2-for-3 day, while C Tommy Joseph, DH Cody Overbeck and INF Michael Martinez all contributed RBIs. OF Jermaine Mitchell doubled and scored a pair of runs and OF Darin Ruf and INF Josh Fields each chipped in with a single.

The Triple-A Phillies take the field again Wednesday when they host the Pirates at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater at 1 p.m. The team heads north on Saturday and hosts an exhibition game against the Reading Fightin Phils on April 2, before officially opening its International League schedule April 4 when it hosts the Syracuse Chiefs.