CLEARWATER, FL – The Detroit Tigerslost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in a split-squad game in spring training.
Detroit is 0-4 in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
The Tigers got a fantastic start from Ty Madden, who threw two hitless innings. But the Phillies feasted on most of the other Tigers’ pitchers.
The one positive for the Tigers?
Javier Báez started at shortstop and picked up a pair of hits.
Kerry Carpenter, Austin Slater and Zach McKinstry all picked up singles, but they just couldn’t string enough of them together to hang with the Phillies.
Then, with two outs in the 9th, Brett Callahan hit a solo homer to slightly dent the Phillies’ lead.
Ty Madden starts it off
Madden, the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, got the start for the Tigers after missing the 2025 season because of a shoulder injury.
Madden hadn’t pitched in a game since he hurt his shoulder in 2025 spring training.
But he was fantastic.
He cruised through the first inning, facing some huge names, getting Kyle Schwarber to fly out meekly and struck out Bryce Harper.
He was just as efficient in the second inning: Alec Bohm (popout to third), Adolis Garcia (flyout to center) and Justin Crawford (ground out).
Madden threw 21 pitches, 14 for strikes. Nobody reached base. In fact, nobody really hit the ball hard on him, other than Garcia hitting a ball to center.
At the plate
The Tigers finally got their offense going in the top of the fourth, while facing Zach McCambley, who last pitched for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Triple-A Marlins) and was a Phillies 2025 Rule 5 draft pick.
Gleyber Torres walked, Kerry Carpenter singled to right and Báez got an RBI single to right.
But the rally ended when Slater hit into a double play.
Colt Keith went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
On the mound
After Madden’s mastery in the first two innings, the Tigers turned to Scott Effross, a 32-year-old right hander on a minor-league contract.
Effross has been battling injuries after missing the entire 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was on the injured list for three months in 2025 after pulling his hamstring after throwing one pitch during the 2025 spring training.
The Phillies had no trouble with Effross. Edmundo Sosa hit a ground-rule double and Pedro León had an RBI single. Effross finished with a tough line: 0.2 innings pitched, two hits, two earned runs, two walks.
Tigers pitcher Konnor Pilkington left a slider over the middle to Phillies second baseman Otto Kemp, who crushed a 419-foot homer to center.
And Tigers pitcher Jack Little did little to stop the Phillies. Harper jacked an RBI double to right and Bohm had an RBI single to center.
Three stars
- Ty Madden, 2. Javier Báez, 3. Brett Callahan
Next up
Thursday vs. Baltimore Oroiles in Sarasota (1:05 p.m.).
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers spring training game score in loss to Phillies
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