This article from the Phillies web site says that the team has agreed to a minor league deal with Luis Castillo and suggests that Castillo won’t necessarily start the year with the team.

A healthy Castillo can help the Phils. A Castillo who’s slow with no range can’t. You have to think he had options and picked a team where he thought he would get to play. We’ll see.

Yesterday the Phils couldn’t figure out CC Sabathia and fell to the Yankees, losing 8-1 to fall to 15-9 in official spring action.

Blanton started the game for the Phils and allowed four runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings. He has a 4.09 ERA and a 1.27 ratio over five starts. In 22 innings, he’s walked just four but allowed 24 hits.

Bastardo followed Blanton and allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning on a single and a double. 1.59 ERA with a 1.06 ratio over 5 2/3 innings for Bastardo for the spring. Contreras followed Bastardo and went an inning, allowing a run on two hits. 2.57 ERA and a 1.00 ERA for Contreras in seven innings over six appearances. Zagurski pitched the ninth and was charged with two runs, both unearned with the help of a Valdez error, on a double and a single. 1.13 ERA and a 1.00 ratio for Zagurski. He’s struck out 11 in eight innings.

Rollins was 3-for-3 with a solo homer for the only run the Phillies scored. Michael Martinez went 0-for-4 and is now hitting 292/320/479 after 48 at-bats. Orr 0-for-1, 333/333/583 in 36 at-bats. Delwyn Young was 0-for-1 and is at 292/333/396 in 48 at-bats. Mayberry 0-for-4 to drop his spring line to 294/368/667 in 51 at-bats. Barfield saw some time in left field and went 0-for-1. He’s at 344/378/500 in 32 at-bats.

Martinez, Orr and Barfield all have better numbers for the spring at this point than Young does.

Hamels struggled again on Saturday, but the Phils got three homers and topped Baltimore 7-5.

Hamels got pounded. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks to raise his spring ERA to 6.23. He’s now walked eight in 17 1/3 innings.

Baez threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Hamels, dropping his ERA to 0.93. In 9 1/3 innings, he’s allowed a run on five hits and four walks. Mathieson threw a scoreless seventh and has a 2.25 ERA and an 0.75 ratio in eight innings over six appearances. Herndon followed that with two scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 3.52. He has a 1.30 spring ratio.

Mayberry hit a two-run homer in the second. Victorino had a three-run blast in the fifth and Eric Kratz added a solo shot in the seventh. Barfield 0-for-3 with a walk. Orr 1-for-3. Martinez 1-for-2. Delywn Young 0-for-1 with an RBI.

On Friday, Tuffy Gosewich delivered a walkoff two-run single with two outs in the ninth to give the Phils a 3-2 win over the Pirates.

Oswalt started the game for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing two runs, which were both unearned. He allowed five hits and didn’t walk a batter. Oswalt has now thrown to a 3.38 in three starts for the spring, but four of the eight runs he has allowed have been unearned. Contreras, Romero and Madson all threw scoreless innings after Oswalt’s exit.

Orr went 3-for-4 with a double in the game. Martinez went 0-for-2, but drew a pair of walks, which were his first of the spring. Time to stop hoping Martinez doesn’t make the team and start hoping he can produce offensively. Walking every now and again is a good place to start.

Brian Schneider returned to the team for Friday’s game.

In this article, Manuel won’t say that he won’t start Gload in right field on opening day. I think he won’t.

This says that Lidge and Polanco will be ready for opening day and that Lidge’s bullpen session yesterday went well.