Phillies game cut short by thunder

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Adam Morgan's pitch to be the Phillies fifth starter was cut short on Thursday night when a thunderstorm postponed the team's game against Atlanta at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Morgan pitched three scoreless innings before the game was postponed with no score at the start of the fourth inning. He struck out two batters, allowed two hits, and walked one. The lefthander is competing with righthander Vincent Velasquez for the final spot in the starting rotation.

Both pitchers have been effective this spring but present clashing styles. Morgan is a crafty lefthander that relies on breaking pitches instead of a charging fastball. Velasquez blazes his fastball in the mid-90s and pairs it with a hard slider. Velasquez carries an edge in velocity, while Morgan seems to have better location. Each pitcher will likely have one final audition before the team makes a decision.

"I think both of them are going to finish strong. Both of them are going to pitch well," manager Pete Mackanin said. "And that's what makes it nerve-wrecking. And then it's no longer fun. You have to make a tough decision."

Odubel Herrera boarded the team's bus to Walt Disney World, and manager Pete Mackanin said the outfielder was available to be used as a pinch-hitter. But the game was postponed before he had the chance to be used. Mackanin there's a good chance that Herrera will return to the lineup on Friday.

Herrera been sidelined since March 12 with a bruised left middle finger. He suffered the injury on March 6 when he slid headfirst into home plate.

"He's a pretty natural hitter," Mackanin said. "The only flaws, if you want to call it, in his batting style are timing. Within a week, he can get that timing down."

Jeff Francoeur, who signed this offseason with Atlanta, cleared the air about the wager he made last season with Maikel Franco. Francoeur told Franco he would buy him a suit if Franco finished the season with 15 home runs. Franco finished one short but was under the impression that he was getting the suit because he missed a month of the season with a wrist injury.

"I'm going to get him a couple nice dress shirts. That's what I'm going to do, all right?," said Francoeur. "I'll get him taken care of. I see him calling me out with the suit and I'm like, 'You didn't hit 15, bro.' The last time I checked a bet is a bet."

Francoeur said there was no contact from the Phillies about returning this season. He did not latch on with Atlanta until just before spring training.

"It was a weird offseason to be honest. It took a long time. I definitely thought I would be coming back, but then obviously different stuff happened," Francoeur said. "But hopefully in the end it's all going to work out."

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen www.philly.com/philliesblog