FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan learned an important lesson last spring:
Don't try to predict the future.
Morgan pitched three scoreless innings Tuesday in a 9-5 victory over the Twins in a Grapefruit League game at Hammond Stadium. He has a 2.19 ERA in five Spring Training appearances as he competes for one of two available bullpen jobs.
"He needs to pitch the remainder of the spring the way he pitched today," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Bob [McClure] has basically changed his whole style of pitching to a certain extent. We used live [batting practice] as a side where he had to mix up all his pitches and he did that today and was effective. He upset the timing of hitters today, that's why he was effective."
Morgan competed to be the Phillies' No. 5 starter last spring, but lost to Vince Velasquez. Morgan had a 1.50 ERA in four starts when he got optioned.
"Last year I was like, 'I've got a shot, I've got a shot,'" Morgan said.
He then made the sound of a rug being pulled from underneath him.
"You have to check your ego at the door," he said. "You're never solidified, well in my case. If you have [more] years in and a contract, I guess. But you're never solidified into a spot. So I just come in and do the best I can."
But Morgan has a shot. He and Joely Rodriguez are the only two left-handers on the 40-man roster with a chance to make the bullpen, which helps his cause. Right-handers Luis Garcia and Alec Asher, who allowed five runs in two innings against the Twins, also have shots to make the team.
Non-roster invitees Sean Burnett and Cesar Ramos are in the mix, too.
But the fact that the Phillies have all those pitchers means it makes no sense for Morgan to look too deeply into his numbers -- or anybody else's numbers.
"No one knows [what will happen]," he said. "I guess it's just a big secret. Just keep doing your thing."
Said Mackanin: "He kind of pitched backward today, which I think he's going to have to do to be successful. He showed us he can do that so that was encouraging."