Crawford to skip playoffs for big-league call
NEW YORK » J.P. Crawford hit a home run Monday to help send the Lehigh Valley IronPigs into the playoffs in the final regular-season game of their International League season.
By then, it may have been the Phillies’ prized infielder’s final minorleague blast of significant production.
Shortly after the game, word leaked from Allentown that Crawford would join the Phillies by Tuesday, when they will play the New York Mets at 7:10. With major-league rosters expanded after Sept. 1, that was expected for weeks. Initially, though, it was unclear if the Phils would allow him to play for the Pigs in the postseason.
“I don’t know anything,” was Pete Mackanin’s shrugged guess Monday.
Crawford, 22, hit 15 home runs this season while batting .243.
In a tweeted quote from the Allentown Morning Call following his final game, the Phillies’ 2013 first-round draft choice said, “Playoffs best time to play baseball, but big leagues sound a lot better. Been working at it since I was 5 years old.”
Over five minor-league seasons, Crawford is a .270 hitter.
Lehigh Valley defeated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 4-3, Monday. The IronPigs will open the postseason against Scranton Wednesday.
*** Whether due to desperation, opportunity, failure or luck, the career path of Adam Morgan has turned.
He is a relief pitcher, not a starter. And if Mackanin has his way, that’s how it will remain.
His left arm intriguing, but his early career as a starter disappointing, Morgan has tumbled into the bullpen and has excelled.
In 28 appearances as a reliever, Morgan has averaged 10.52 strikeouts per nine innings. Three times, he has had five strikeouts in a relief appearance. And he contributed three scoreless innings, earning the win, as the Phillies prevailed Sunday in Miami.
“He’s a different guy,” Mackanin said Monday before the Phils’ 11-7 loss to the Mets. “Then the question becomes: Has he found his niche? Or do you want to mess with that?
“I wouldn’t want to. For me, this is his niche. But we haven’t discussed that.”
At 27, and with at least some success as a lefthanded major-league starter, Morgan’s future will be determined at the executive, not the field level. But the momentum is clear.
“He’s regained and even increased his velocity,” Mackanin said. “But that could be due to the fact that he’s not starting and he’s pitching one, two, three innings at the most. And that makes a big difference.
“Anyway, that’s something that we’ll discuss.”
*** Odubel Herrera Aaron Altherr, who and had both suffered hamstring injuries, were removed from the disabled list last weekend.
Though both were available, neither started Sunday. Mackanin said that was the trainers’ recommendation. Herrera, though, will play regularly for the rest of the season, the manager said. That’s fine with the centerfielder.
“Yes of course,” said Herrera, who completed a brief rehab stint with Reading. “I feel 100 percent. All the at-bats in the minor leagues I felt great. I was seeing the ball well. So I feel fine.”
Herrera pinch-hit with two out in the ninth Monday and provided an RBI single to right, extending his hitting games.
Altherr got loose in Reading but did not play in a game. For that, he was not surprised that he did not play Monday.
“The plan was to try to get at least one game in, but it didn’t feel ready yet,” he said. “So we held off for a little bit. I should be ready soon.”
*** Rhys Hoskins said he was “feeling better” and returned to the lineup. He did not play Sunday after being hit in the hand by a 97 mph fastball from Miami’s Bryan Ellington Saturday.
Hoskins went with two walks.
“I felt fine today, streak to 1-for-3 I 18 really did,” Hoskins said after the game. “I was really pleased with how it responded. I missed a couple pitches that I should have hit. But that’s going to happen. It’s baseball. But for the most part it was good to see pitches again after that day off and try to get the timing back.”
*** Mark Leiter Jr., who has had a decent second half of the season, offered little Monday, allowing nine hits and eight earned runs in 3.1 innings.
Leiter surrendered home runs to Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera.
“I got too much plate probably,” he said. “They had a good game plan against me. They swung the bats really well. I’ve got to move on from it and work towards the next one.”
Raised in Toms River, N.J., and having played college baseball at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Leiter was looking forward to his first start in CitiField.
“I would have rather it gone a different way, but it was close to home and it was cool,” he said. “I had a lot of people here. I just wish the results went differently.”
*** NOTES » Hyun Soo Kim had two RBIs Monday. He is hitting .314 with two doubles and a triple over his last 13 games. … Yacksel Rios provided two scoreless innings of relief. … Ben Lively (2-5, 4.22 ERA) will face righthanded Jacob deGrom (138, 3.43) Tuesday at 7:10. … Nick Pivetta (5-9, 6.28) will pitch against Mets righty Matt Harvey (4-4, 5.97) Wednesday night. … Jake Thompson will start Thursday when the Phils open a four-game series in Washington.