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Sweeney makes case for more playing time in Phillies win over Padres

Amid their youth movement, the Phillies have yet to offer extended playing time to their new 24-year-old utility man, Darnell Sweeney. Cesar Hernandez remains the rebuilding team's priority at second base, center field is locked up by Odubel Herrera, and Sweeney's experience at third base - where Maikel Franco's injury has created a void - is minimal.

Darnell Sweeney walks in the sixth inning. The new Phillie had clubbed a two-run home run in the second inning fora 2-0 lead. ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer
Darnell Sweeney walks in the sixth inning. The new Phillie had clubbed a two-run home run in the second inning fora 2-0 lead. ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff PhotographerRead more

Amid their youth movement, the Phillies have yet to offer extended playing time to their new 24-year-old utility man, Darnell Sweeney. Cesar Hernandez remains the rebuilding team's priority at second base, center field is locked up by Odubel Herrera, and Sweeney's experience at third base - where Maikel Franco's injury has created a void - is minimal.

But in his 18 plate appearances since joining the Phillies as part of the return for Chase Utley, Sweeney has made his case for more starts. His two-run home run Saturday night opened the scoring in the Phillies' 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

"There's a good chance at that, for right now," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said of the possibility of giving Sweeney more playing time.

The homer, an opposite-field blast off Padres rookie righthander Colin Rea, gave early run support to Adam Morgan, who turned in six solid innings. Morgan kept the damage to only two unearned runs and four hits before Mackanin called on the bullpen for the final three innings.

"I'm just trying to continue to play my game. I can't try to do too much," said Sweeney, who has reached base in 10 of his 18 plate appearances as a major-leaguer. "I just want to continue to do what I know I've got to do, and I think that's just play good defense, be a havoc on the bases, and have good at-bats."

Saturday's was Sweeney's third start in 10 games with the Phillies. Against the Padres, he manned second base, his best position, and Hernandez shifted over to third base for the night. While Sweeney contributed with his bat, Hernandez continued to scuffle with his.

An 0-for-4 game dropped Hernandez's batting average to .262. Since it peaked at .302 on July 6, he has hit just .221. The 25-year-old Venezuelan has eight hits in his last 60 at-bats and only three in his last 34.

"He just needs to regain his confidence," Mackanin said. "He's going to be fine."

Sweeney's long ball on Saturday was his second in a span of nine at-bats. With Ryan Howard on first base after a leadoff single in the second inning, Sweeney offered at Rea's first-pitch, a belt-high fastball, and sent it over the left-center-field wall.

A switch-hitter, he has hit a big-league home run from each side of the plate. He worked a walk in Saturday's sixth inning, already his fifth base on balls with the Phillies. He grounded out in his other two plate appearances.

"He sure hit that ball in Miami [on Aug. 22] a long way, and today [he went] opposite field," Mackanin said. "He's got pop in his bat.

"We'll get more looks at him."

Mackanin also praised Morgan, who did not walk a batter for his fourth consecutive start. His 242/3 consecutive innings without a walk is the longest streak by a Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee's 30-inning streak in 2013. It's the longest by a Phillies rookie since 1972.

"I take a lot of pride in that. Being able to control the ball and being able to throw it where you want it is huge to me," Morgan said.

The Padres' two runs came in the fourth inning, on back-to-back run-scoring singles from Yonder Alonso and Melvin Upton Jr. The Phillies answered with two more in the bottom half of the inning. Freddy Galvis smacked an RBI double. Morgan followed with a single up the middle to help his own cause. It was his first major-league RBI.

Jedd Gyorko's run-scoring single in the seventh narrowed the Phillies' lead to one. The run was charged to Jerome Williams, who pitched in relief for the second consecutive game. Luis Garcia escaped a jam in a scoreless eighth and an inning later Ken Giles converted his 11th save in as many opportunities since assuming the closer's role.