Lefty reliever Adam Morgan has been unsung hero in Phillies’ fast start | Extra Innings

Many of the opposing scouts who saw the Phillies play in spring training came away asking a variation of the same question: Could this team, which spent nearly half a billion dollars in the offseason to transform a flawed roster, handle the heightened expectations of being a playoff contender?

Nine games into the season, we have our answer. It’s a resounding yes.

The Phillies won again last night, 4-3 over the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. They are 7-2, their best nine-game start since 2011. They’re 6-1 at home and 5-1 against division opponents. They have hit 15 home runs and outscored opponents by 57-36.

Not only are the Phillies good, but they also expect to be.

“It’s good to see that the team took spring training and the preparation to get ready for the season pretty seriously,” said Rhys Hoskins, who hit two more home runs last night. “You’re seeing a good product on the field right now.”

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— Scott Lauber (extrainnings@philly.com)

Last October, with the misery of the final two months of the season still fresh in their minds, Phillies officials held a series of meetings to analyze how and why the team collapsed as it did. One conclusion: Their pitching was unable to neutralize the lefty-heavy lineups of the Braves, Nationals and Mets.

But when the Phillies remade their roster, they added only one left-handed pitcher: reliever Jose Alvarez, acquired from the Angels in a minor trade that went largely unnoticed.

The Phillies reasoned that the addition of free-agent right-hander David Robertson would help. Throughout his career, he has been tougher on left-handed hitters than on righties. Moreover, veteran reliever Tommy Hunter had more success last season against lefties.

But Robertson has struggled early in the season. And Hunter hasn’t pitched at all because of a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm that isn’t improving. He received an injection last week and will be shut down from throwing for at least three weeks.

The Phillies have been fortunate, then, that Adam Morgan has stepped into the breach. The left-hander tossed a scoreless seventh inning last night, retiring the heart of the Nationals order (Juan Soto, Ryan Zimmerman and Kurt Suzuki), and hasn’t allowed a run in five innings over six appearances this season. He’s getting out both left-handed hitters (1-for-8) and righties (1-for-9). He has struck out four batters without walking any.

If there has been an unsung hero in the Phillies’ fast start, it has been Morgan.

Morgan is throwing more sinkers this season. He relied more on his four-seam fastball last season, when he held lefties to a .664 on-base plus slugging percentage but also issued 14 walks and got hit harder by righties (.740 OPS with four homers in 84 at-bats).

“He’s kind of showing that he doesn’t just have to be a one-batter matchup with a lefty,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He can go through left and right. In fact, I thought the right-handers looked more uncomfortable.”

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Last season, the Phillies had the worst defense in baseball. This year, their defense is helping them win games. One big difference: They’re shifting far less. It’s another sign that Kapler is willing to make adjustments. As he said in Bob Brookover’s column, “I accept responsibility for shifting our defenders a little too aggressively at times and a little bit too risky at times last season.”

In his first start of the season, Vince Velasquez did what the Phillies needed. He gave them a chance to win.

Roman Quinn is healthy and nearly ready to return from the injured list after straining an oblique muscle in his right side during spring training. But with Odubel Herrera playing so well, finding playing time for Quinn could prove difficult.

Tonight: Aaron Nola vs. Stephen Strasburg in marquee pitching matchup, 7:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Phillies and Nationals wrap up their three-game series, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday: Off-day for Phillies.

Friday: Jake Arrieta starts the series opener in Miami, 7:10 p.m.

Saturday: Zach Eflin looks to continue his strong start at Marlins, 6:10 p.m.

According to Statcast, Hoskins had a 47-degree launch angle on his second home run last night, a solo shot in the eighth inning. It tied Tommy Joseph for the highest homer hit by a Phillies player since the advent of Statcast technology in 2015.

“I was joking with somebody about what the launch angle was going to say on the board," Hoskins said. “I guessed 55.”

Asked if he’s ever had a higher launch angle, Hoskins said, “Probably. But probably not that high that wasn’t an out, so I’ll take it.”

Since he made his major-league debut on Aug. 10, 2017, Hoskins has hit 56 home runs, 24 of which have given the Phillies a lead. During that time, the only player with more go-ahead homers than Hoskins is A’s slugger Khris Davis (29).

Send questions by email or on Twitter @ScottLauber.

Question: Why don’t the Phillies send [Scott] Kingery down to Lehigh Valley to play every day? I can’t see how they expect him to develop by pinch hitting twice a week and getting a start once every two or three weeks. Given the impressive spring [Phil] Gosselin gave them, I’d think both the team and Scott would be much better off with them switching roles, at least until Kingery gets it going. What’s the thinking behind having such a young player, who’s struggled since coming to the majors, sit on the bench while trying to regain his batting stroke?

— Joseph G., via email

Answer: Interesting thought, Joseph. Thanks for sending it. A year ago, we were discussing the potential harm that playing multiple positions could have on Kingery’s development. So, yes, I certainly agree that he won’t improve as a hitter if he doesn’t get more regular at-bats.

That said, I think Kingery stands a better chance of seeing a bump in playing time at second base than getting sent to triple A. For as much as Kapler has said he plans to stick with struggling Cesar Hernandez, the Phillies also have $24 million invested in Kingery. I can’t imagine they will let him rust on the bench if Hernandez doesn’t heat up. At the very least, I could see it becoming more of a timeshare until one grabs the job and runs with it.