Says The Athletic:
The Phillies have two lefty locks for the bullpen in José Álvarez and Adam Morgan (above). Francisco Liriano is in camp on a minor-league deal and has an extensive track record in the majors. But it might be hard to carry three lefties given the new MLB rules that force relievers to face a minimum of three batters.
“Lefties now have to get righties out,” manager Joe Girardi said. “So if they get righties out, it doesn’t matter if they’re left-handed or right-handed. It’s who can get both out that becomes really important because you can’t mix and match like you used to.”
Álvarez was hit hard by righties last season — at a .328/.385/.475 clip. Morgan allowed a .224/.297/.466 line to righties. This is why the Phillies are watching how Liriano fares against right-handed hitters this spring. Liriano was terrific last season — his first full season as a reliever — versus lefties. Righties hit .246/.329/.401 against him. That was a tick better than the league average line (.258/.329/.449) for righty batters against lefty pitchers.
