Adam Morgan once again on Phillies' roster bubble

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Phillies will spend the final 10 days of spring training debating the few decisions left looming over their roster. And for the second straight spring, Adam Morgan finds himself in the thick of those discussions.

Morgan, competing for one of the two remaining spots in the bullpen, pitched three shutout innings Tuesday in a 9-5 win over the Twins. The lefthander struck out two and walked one. He has allowed three runs in 121/3 innings this spring. He's making a strong push.

Morgan is already on the 40-man roster, meaning the Phillies will not have to clear room for him if he comes with them to Cincinnati for opening day April 3. He would double as a lefthanded reliever and a pitcher who can work multiple innings for a bullpen that is currently constructed with one-inning pitchers.

But Morgan knows there are no guarantees. He was sent to the minors last spring just two days before the Phillies left Florida after he lost the competition for the fifth-starter job.

"You just have to take it one day at a time and check your ego at the door," Morgan said. "You're never solidified into a spot. I just come in and try to do the best that I can."

Morgan is joined in the bullpen competition by righthanders Luis Garcia and Colton Murray, switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, and lefthanders Joely Rodriguez and Sean Burnett. Garcia and Rodriguez, like Morgan, are already on the 40-man roster. The two spots will likely come down to Morgan, Garcia, and Rodriguez.

"He needs to pitch the remainder of the spring the way he pitched today," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He kind of pitched backward today, which is the thing I think he's going to have to do to be successful, and he showed us he can do that, so that was encouraging."

Jake Thompson pitched in one of his final Grapefruit League starts before heading to minor-league camp. Thompson, who will start the season in triple-A Lehigh Valley's rotation, allowed no runs and two hits in three innings.

He struck out two batters and walked two. It was only Thompson's second start this spring after being sidelined with a wrist injury. Thompson will likely start the season on a pitch count as he continues to build arm strength. He made 10 starts in the majors last season and had a shot to crack the Phillies rotation until they traded for Clay Buchholz and brought back Jeremy Hellickson.

"That's nothing that I can control," Thompson said. "I can tell you definitely it makes the team better having those two veterans around, kind of leading the way with both performance and in the clubhouse. Those are great guys to look up to. Whenever you're struggling, they've definitely dealt with it before, so they're somebody you can go to."

Freddy Galvis homered in the fifth inning, which Mackanin credited to a shorter swing. Galvis is "staying under control and using his hands more to hit instead of his whole body." . . . Galvis, Chris Coghlan, and Odubel Herrera each had two hits for the Phillies, who finished with 15.