Phillies to Name No. 5 Starter on Monday
The Phillies time in Clearwater is coming to an end, and so is the battle for the fifth spot in the in teams starting rotation. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said today that he would announce a decision on who his fifth starter will be on Monday.
As for the two pitchers who are fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation – Vincent Velasquez and Adam Morgan, with Velasquez pitching Monday and Morgan throwing Tuesday.
"It's going to be a hard decision," Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock said on the Sports Bash on Friday. "They both have pitched very, very well this spring."
"No matter what, we've done what we set out to do, which was improve our starting rotation," Proefrock continued.
The winner of the No. 5 spot in the rotation, will join a staff that consists of Jeremy Hellickson starting on Opening Day for the Phillies, with Aaron Nola, Charlie Morton and Jerad Eickhoff rounding out the rest of the staff.