BRADENTON, Fla. -- Charlie Morton will throw his fifth bullpen session this morning. He is still limited to fastballs off the mound, but he has started to throw breaking balls on flat ground. Morton is still on track in his rehabilitation from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery he had last June.

***I talked to Tony Watson this morning and mentioned this article from Sports Illustrated discussing the correlation of lineup turnover to winning percentage.

“I remember as a starter you wanted to go through the third time through, that was when you had to really grit it and get it going and get through the game,” Watson said. “Four or five times through and order, those guys start seeing pitches, seeing sequences and stuff.”

The article lays out interesting ideas regarding the use of relievers and side effects of sacrifice bunts, intentional walks and errors, even if they don't directly lead to a run.

Watson will likely join Mark Melancon and Jared Hughes as relievers called upon to pitch the seventh and eighth inning this season now that former set-up man Jason Grilli is closing.

“We haven’t talked to [Grilli] about it yet,” Watson said. “I’m sure he will share some things, how it is. You still got to go out there and get three outs no matter what inning.”

***Among those scheduled for bullpen sessions today: Kyle McPherson, Jonathan Sanchez, Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris, Duke Welker.

First Published: March 24, 2016, 5:18 p.m.