Charlie Morton placed on disabled list; Adam Morgan could replace him
The Phillies will not know the extent of Charlie Morton's hamstring injury until Monday or Tuesday, but they know it is serious enough to sideline him for at least two weeks.
Morton was placed on the disabled list Sunday morning with a strained left hamstring. The team replaced him with a reliever, Luis Garcia, and will add a starter closer to Morton's next scheduled start, which is Friday at Citizens Bank Park against Cleveland.
Adam Morgan is a good bet to join the rotation.
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said the team will make a decision later in the week on Morton's replacement. Morgan, who is scheduled to start Tuesday for triple-A Lehigh Valley, has a 3.57 ERA with 20 strikeouts and four walks in three starts this season.
The reports on Morgan, Klentak said, are "really good."
"The whole triple-A staff has been doing a really nice job," Klentak said. "We're fortunate that we do have — whether Charlie out for a couple of starts or longer — we do have options within the organization. We're comfortable with that."
Morgan could throw a couple of innings in his scheduled start Tuesday for the IronPigs to stay sharp. His previous start was on Thursday.
Morton will undergo an MRI exam on Monday in Philadelphia. He was injured in the second inning Saturday when running to first base on a bunt attempt. He felt something pop. "It was like," Morton said, "my leg went dead." Morton suffered a hamstring injury in 2009 and missed less than two weeks.
It is the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Morton has spent time on the DL.
"There are varying degrees of severity with any injury," Morton said. "So you really just don't know. It doesn't do anybody any good to speculate, really. Something happened. It's not good."
Extra bases
Hector Neris' scoreless streak, which dated to last season, ended at 14 2/3 innings. Alex Presley drilled a first-pitch Neris splitter for a two-run homer in the sixth. … Odubel Herrera has reached base in 16 straight games. He scored a run in the third and drove in another in the seventh with a sacrifice fly. … Maikel Franco went 7 for 13 with three homers and eight RBIs in the weekend series. … The Phillies have batted the pitcher eighth in each of their last four games. They have scored 25 runs in those games.