It’s turning out to be a youth-inspired weekend at Citizens Bank Park.
It was Aaron Nola Friday night.
It will be Alec Asher’s turn Sunday (see story).
And on Saturday night, it was Adam Morgan and Darnell Sweeney pouring in the fountain of youth as the Phillies beat the Padres, 4-3 (see Instant Replay).
Morgan threw six strong innings and knocked in the game’s decisive run, while Sweeney laced an opposite-field, two-run homer to spark the offense.
All four aforementioned players are rookies. All four were nowhere near the Phillies’ opening day roster. So to be on the verge of a three-game sweep at the end of August, spearheaded by kids that were wearing minor-league threads not too long ago, must please team officials as the 2015 season takes its losing course.
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“It’s great, the vibe around here is good,” Morgan said. “Even after a series like the Mets series, we’re still just grinding it out. Everybody is upbeat, we’re in the right sense. Everybody feeds off each other here.”
Sweeney’s two-run shot came in the second inning. After the Padres responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game, the Phillies came back with two more in the bottom half — one on a two-out RBI double by Freddy Galvis, the other a two-out RBI single by Morgan.
“That was great,” Morgan said with a laugh. “It was a breaking ball up in the zone. He (Padres starter Colin Rea) made me look like a fool on the two fastballs before so I don’t know what was going on.”
Morgan knew what he was doing on the mound. He allowed only two unearned runs and went his fourth consecutive start without issuing a walk. In fact, the southpaw hasn't walked a batter in his last 24 2/3 innings, the longest streak by a Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee went 30 innings in 2013. Ironically, Morgan was likened to a young Lee when he was drafted in 2013.
“I take a lot of pride in that,” Morgan said of the no walks. “Being able to control the ball and being able to throw it where you want it is huge to me. I don’t try to give up any free bags because that’s when stuff starts getting out of hand.”
The 25-year-old has kept things in hand of late, delivering four quality starts over his last five outings, improving to 5-4 with a 4.03 ERA this season. His lone blemish since Aug. 8 was on Monday when the Mets had themselves a home run derby.
Morgan was determined to put that behind him.
“I’ve said this from the beginning, I want to stick here,” he said. “If I have an outing like the one on Monday, you’re going to get out of here real quick.”
Interim manager Pete Mackanin lauded Morgan for his short memory and improved control.
“We talked about his last outing, he rebounded very nicely,” Mackanin said. “He relies on command and control. He’s certainly good in the control department.”
Morgan was the new kid on the block when he made his big-league debut June 21. Now he’s the fourth rookie in the Phillies’ rotation, joined by Nola, Asher and Jerad Eickhoff. It’s all part of the Phillies getting younger and furthering evaluation.
Sweeney falls squarely under those categories. The switch-hitting 24-year-old was acquired in the Chase Utley trade and known more for his speed and versatility, but since joining the Phillies Aug. 20, he’s shown he can hit the ball through the air, too.
“When you watch this guy take batting practice, the ball doesn’t really jump off his bat. I think he works on mechanics more than anything from either side of the plate,” Mackanin said. “But he sure hit that ball in Miami a long way, and today, opposite field. He’s got pop in his bat. We’ll get more looks at him.”
Sweeney, who has two homers and five walks in eight games, made his second start at second base. He can also play center field. Around 3 p.m. Saturday, Sweeney was taking early grounders at second base. With Cesar Hernandez struggling (3 for his last 34), Sweeney may see more time at the position.
“There’s a good chance of that for right now,” Mackanin said. “Cesar is our second baseman, but he’s in a funk right now and he needs to battle his way out of it. He’s trying and maybe a day off might help him. He just needs to regain his confidence, he’s going to be fine. I might put Sweeney in there [Sunday].”
With the added youth, Mackanin now has tough decisions such as those — and that’s a good thing.
“You constantly evaluate,” Mackanin said prior to the game. “There’s more to it than just my opinion obviously, but you’re always evaluating.”
The evaluation continues Sunday with Asher.