Morgan closer to permanent role in ‘pen
Adam Morgan tumbled into the bullpen after struggling as a starter but the left-hander has excelled in the role with the Phillies.
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 Pete 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 his 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 left-handed 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 and Aaron Altherr, both who’d had hamstring strife, were removed from the disabled list.
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 center fielder.
“Yes of course,” said Herrera, who completed a brief rehab stint with Reading. “I feel 100 percent. All the atbats 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 streak to 18 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 pitch from Miami’s Bryan Ellington Saturday.
Hoskins went 1-for-3 with two walks.
“I felt fine today, I 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.”