Philadelphia Phillies: Rebuilding the Rotation
By Tal Venada
After a summer of adjusting his telltale cap, manager Pete Mackanin won’t slightly lift it again until something unpleasant occurs in March. At season’s end, he spoke with Klentak regarding each player’s performance. A meeting and coffee. After comparing Adam Morgan‘s two stints with the big club, the GM and the skipper were somewhat happy with the southpaw’s progress, but the only lefty starter will probably be an IronPig next April. A lunch break. Another powwow.
Morgan’s stats:
- First stint: 1-7 with a 6.65 ERA for 66 1/3 frames.
- Second stint: 1-4 with a 5.17 ERA for 47 innings (1-3 with a 3.86 ERA for 42 frames before his last outing).
According to Mackanin during a late September interview, Jake Thompson and Alec Asher are inconsistent. Pitching coach Bob McClure will work with both of them in Clearwater. However, because Asher and Thompson may be competing for the fifth starter’s role, they will probably take a new wrinkle from bullpen sessions with McClure into some March outings. Watch for it.
Thompson’s stats for his first four games and his final six contests:
- 1-3 with a 9.78 ERA for 19 1/3 frames.
- 2-3 with a 3.41 ERA for 34 1/3 innings.
Asher’s stats for his five appearances (all against stronger competition):
- 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA for 27 2/3 innings versus Washington, Pittsburgh, Miami and New York (NL).