Pirates not lifting Morton despite latest debacle
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Pirates starter Charlie Morton looks on as the Reds' Scott Rolen, background, rounds the bases after a three-run home run in the first inning Thursday at Great American Ball Park. -
Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton talks with catcher Jason Jaramillo in the first inning. -
Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips turns to throw the Pirates' Jeff Clement (not shown) out at first base in the seventh inning. The Pirates' Andy LaRoche safely advances to second. Phillips was injured on the play and left the game after the inning. -
The Pirates' Jason Jaramillo looks up at the scoreboard after stricking out against Reds relief pitcher Mike Lincoln in the ninth inning. -
The Pirates' Akinori Iwamura hits a pinch-hit single off Reds relief pitcher Enerio Del Rosario to drive in a run in the seventh inning. -
Members of the Reds' grounds crew paint a sign in the dirt behind home plate directing fans to an Internet site where they can vote for Reds players to the National League All-Star team. -
The Reds' Scott Rolen is congratulated by third base coach Mark Berry after hitting a three-run home run off Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton in the first inning. -
Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton throws against in the first inning.
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CINCINNATI -- A year ago, the Pirates' management would remove one bad start from Charlie Morton's statistics to paint a positive picture.
That turned into just a bad inning.
Or a bad pitch.
Then, in an interview a week ago, general manager Neal Huntington cited a series of intricate metrics to make his case that Morton was "about 5 feet of ground balls away" from having pitched well all month.
Well, such measurements were being made in far greater distances in the Pirates' 8-2 loss to Cincinnati tonight at Great American Ball Park, as Morton was bombarded yet again for seven runs and eight hits in just two innings, including back-to-back home runs by the Reds' Scott Rolen and Jay Bruce.
Total distance between those two shots: 782 feet.
Game: Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves, 7:35 p.m., Turner Field.
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Season series: Atlanta, 2-1.
Pitching: LHP Zach Duke (3-4, 4.47) vs. RHP Derek Lowe (6-4, 5.30).
Key matchup: The Braves' Chipper Jones owns Duke, 11 for 24 with a home run and three doubles.
Of note: In losing two of three to Atlanta last weekend at PNC Park, the Pirates stranded a remarkable 33 runners while scoring just five runs.
• The PBC Blog
• Box score
• Statistics
• Standings
After the game, manager John Russell met with Morton in his office for nearly a half-hour, but it was decided by the team's management as a whole that he would neither be demoted nor removed from the rotation.
"We talked," Russell said of his meeting with Morton. "He's worked really hard and, unfortunately, tonight was a night where nothing really paid off for him. We'll re-evaluate it and see where we are. It was a step back, and we've got to see what we can do to go forward again."
Will Morton stay in the rotation?
"As of now, yeah."
Could he ever go to the bullpen?
"No. He's going to be a starter, no matter what."
And is he healthy?
"Yeah, he's had some shoulder fatigue the past couple of starts, but he's fighting through it. He hasn't felt pain, and he seemed to throw the ball pretty firmly tonight. That was a good sign."
First Published May 28, 2010 12:00 am
