MIAMI _ Adam Morgan _ and almost everyone else in Marlins Park on Thursday night _ knew Dee Gordon wanted to steal second base. The left-hander threw to first base four times in the seventh inning of a 3-2 win over the Marlins. Gordon slid back to the bag each time as the crowd hissed more and more.
Morgan, a forgotten Phillies starter who has suddenly found a role as a steady reliever, needed just one more strike to complete yet another scoreless inning. Gordon sprinted for second on ball three, sliding safely for the steal. And now Morgan had one of baseball's fastest runners on second base.
Morgan was once a top pitching prospect before he had serious shoulder surgery in January 2014. He missed that entire season and it would not have been a surprise if his career ended after a surgeon closed a gap in his left shoulder. Morgan rallied. He reached the majors 18 months later, managing to reinvent himself after the surgery sapped his fastball of its velocity.
But Morgan's time as a starter was met with struggles. He bounced between the rotation and the bullpen before being dropped to Triple A. He started the season in the majors but lasted just two games before being demoted. The former prospect looked like just another pitcher.
Morgan entered Thursday night after Ben Lively grinded out six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one. Lively used his slider for four of his five strikeouts. All four were swinging strikes as the pitch's effectiveness countered his fastball, which seemed to lack command.
The right-hander loaded the bases in the second and third innings, but escaped the threats with just one run allowed. Lively showed no fear against Giancarlo Stanton, twice throwing up-and-in fastballs. Lively retired the slugger all three times he faced him, including a strikeout in the third inning.
Lively even drove in a pair of runs with a single in the fourth. His hit capped a three-run inning as Pedro Florimon slapped an RBI single.
The Phillies were bailed out in the eighth when Tomas Telis was signaled for batter's interference when he ran on the infield grass following his tapper to the mound. Luis Garcia's throw was wide of first, which appeared to allow the tying run to score before home plate umpire Brian Gorman signaled Telis out.
And if that wasn't close enough, the Phillies escaped the ninth with the bases loaded. Hector Neris struck out J.T. Realmuto to end it.
Rhys Hoskins walked in the first and singled in the third to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. He is the first Phillies player since Chuck Klein in 1928 to have a 13-game hitting streak in the first month of his career.
Gordon was the first batter Morgan faced on Thursday and he greeted the pitcher with a single to center. The heart of the order was up, but Morgan failed to wither. His fastball _ once slowed by surgery _ has regained its form. It zipped at 96 mph on Thursday and made Morgan's off-speed pitches much more effective.
He struck out Stanton. And then whiffed Christian Yelich. Gordon then stole second and Morgan had one more challenge. Morgan threw a change-up to Marcell Ozuna and the batter swung helplessly. It was another scoreless inning and Morgan has allowed just one earned run in his last 141/3 innings. He seems to have found his groove. And he no longer looks like just another pitcher.
