Great way to finish for Morrow, no doubt. But, I'll repeat what I've been saying about Morrow for some time. His problem is not mechanical. It's mental. In the write-up of the game they mentioned it was his most Ks since ... (wait for it), ... his FIRST Major League start. What he did on Wednesday night, he did 14 starts ago. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem. That it took 13 less stellar starts over a two year period before he was able to duplicate the feat.
You know when you'll KNOW Morrow has turned the corner? When he can string together quality outings over a 3-month period. No, EVERY start doesn't have to be a gem. But, the rough "streak" limit for the superstars in baseball is roughly 6 weeks. (Most streaks don't last that long - but for the supremely gifted, that's about where the gas runs out). So, a 6 week run is NOT enough to make a reasonable call on a pitcher. IMO, you need double that ... a 12 week period where you learn to EXPECT the A game, instead of hoping for it.
Unit didn't get there until age 29. (But Morrow ain't got the raw to get by pitching really bad and still compete the way Unit did). At this point, yes, he could throw a no-hitter any time he takes the mound. He could also go a month without a quality start after said no-no. So far, it's taken 15 starts to win 4 games. Give me another 15 starts, and we'll talk.
Q. What was the line?
A. Morrow 8.0 1 0 0 0 2 9.
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Q. What was the hit?
A. Rajai Davis, who is the A's fastest player by far, hit a firm bounder up the middle that Josh Wilson scampered over and snagged on one hop. Off balance and rushed, Wilson threw very weakly to 1B, and Davis beat it out by half a step.
That's how close Morrow was to leading off SportsCenter on Wednesday.
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Q. How many saves by the fielders?
A. Essentially none. After seven hitters, Morrow had 4 strikeouts, two infield pops, and a fly ball to Saunders straightaway.
That's pretty much the game, although several balls were stroked to outfielders and Beltre handled one hot shot at third.
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Q. Maybe it was the A's?
A. First of all, no.
Second of all, a great-hitting team mighta had four hits.
Third of all, in the postgame, Wakamatsu compared the game favorably to anything that Felix ever did this year. He talked dreamily about the offseason and big things next year.
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Q. Okay, whattaya mean turned the corner?
A. After Morrow's last start, we wrote this article complaining that when Morrow is wild, he's overthrowing up and away. We challenged anybody, if annoyed with Morrow's control, to find the flaw. Variable foot plant? Rushed upper-body timing? Find it or shaddap. :- )
Rick Adair might have found it.
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The first pitch of the ballgame, Morrow overthrew a fastball high to Adam Kennedy. I winced.
The second pitch of the ballgame, Morrow got on top of the baseball like Curt Schilling and screamed a downward-angled 95 howitzer past Kennedy for 1-1.
The third pitch of the ballgame, Morrow threw downhill for a gorgeous strike on the other edge of the plate, 1-2. I was sitting forward in my chair now.
The fourth pitch, Morrow got on top again, a 96 jam pitch biting down sharply, that Kennedy, miraculously, managed to pop high on the infield.
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Morrow struck out 4 of the next 6 hitters. I did not notice him overthrow a ball high -- not one single pitch -- until two outs in the 8th.
In the sixth, the announcers worried about the Tampa Bay inning ("Okay! It's the 6th inning! Time to crash and burn as always?!"). First pitch, Morrow got on top of the ball easily. They wondered about a meltdown; I wondered if it was going to be a 9-IP shutout.
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Finally, in the 8th, with his pitch count in the 90's, Morrow had 0 on, 2 out, an 0-1 count .... and at long last overthrew (? I guess) his 2nd fastball of the night, way outside. We went, uh-oh.
Morrow threw six more pitches high-and-wide to the next two batters, luckily did finagle one more flyball out, and went home for the winter.
I preferred the 7.2 1 0 0 0 0 9 line, but will accept the 8.0 1 0 0 0 2 9 line with a note from the curfew watchman.
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Q. So this was the Randy Johnson game?
A. If Morrow continues to get on top of the baseball like this, his control problems are over. End of story.
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Q. Which Adair could help with, this mechanic.
A. Adair is known for applying his pet "get on top of the ball" theme to everybody from Carlos Silva to Luke French.
It's never a bad idea, but I'll tell you what. THIS is the pitcher, Brandon Morrow, for whom the principle is going to be golden.
It was flat-out fun watching Morrow effortlessly pump one 95 missile after another right into the catcher's mitt. At one point he had 50 strikes and 19 balls.
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Like I believe that the forward waist lean was THE key for Randy Johnson, I believe that getting on top of the ball is Brandon Morrow's key. And he looked "fixed." We'll see.
They could make my Thursday if they expressly refer to this in the postgames. LOL.
Comments
We'll know Morrow's a great pitcher when Morrow pitches like a great pitcher? : )
Morrow's young. He has one of the best FB's in the game. He spent most of this year re-tooling his mechanics and his approach. His best days, theoretically, are in front of him.
I am worn out with the local media's lamentations about Morrow, how he's 5 and dive, doesn't have the mental toughness to be a successful pitcher, hasn't shown any consistency. And how the org has messed him up by bouncing him around between roles and AAA/MLB.
The dude is young, he has an elite arm. Sandy mentions consistency. It took Felix a few years to find it. Give Morrow a bit of time for cripes sakes. He was an awfully effective reliever for a season. He's had flashes of brilliance as a starter. Consistency will likely develop with maturity, and experience.
... the day after he was drafted...
However, nobody was accused more frequently or vehemently of being a head case, than Randy Johnson -- before he learned how to land on his toe, that is --
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Whether Morrow be a case in point or not, the fact is, you show me a hot young pitcher who has a mechanical flaw that nobody can find, and I'll show you a pitcher that is accused of being weak-minded...
++ You know when you'll KNOW Morrow has turned the corner? When he can string together quality outings over a 3-month period. ++
That will remove all discussion, to be sure...
If a baseball analyst were good enough at what he did, he would have known that Randy Johnson had turned the corner on the basis of finding his mechanical flaws (leaning back, landing on the heel), fixing them, and then watching him go out and fan 12 with no walks in the next two games...
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The article above has nothing to do with 1 hit and 9 strikeouts. What I saw was that Brandon Morrow got on top of his fastball and stopped sailing them wide.
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What we don't know is whether he will come to ST next year, and along with Adair, whether he will stay on top of the ball. Agreed.
I didn't catch this game on TV, but went back and watched the Morrow highlight reel that night. Man. I dunno what it is exactly, but the way he looks when he's dominating like that is just... pretty. Those curveballs? Those were things of beauty. I've re-watched the compilation about 5 times now.
One thing I remember Doc saying from day 1 is that Morrow has a starter's rhythm. Let him get past the first inning, and then he's just in a rocking chair all game long. This game looked like that to me.
... the Mariners for the first time since Gillick, have bona fide talent experts making the calls.
It's evident that from day one, Z and W have viewed Morrow as a guy who needs to get situated in that rocking chair. They've put up with Morrow's own indecision on it, but they were real quick to see the easy 95 mph velocity late in games, the butter-smooth motion, the grace as opposed to max effort, etc.
Relievers muscle up and "run down the mound" as Orel Hershiser once put it. Starters, using less brute force, get the delicate feel going at the ends of their fingers, so to speak.
In terms of his rhythm and grace, Morrow's right there with Jim Palmer, Mike Mussina, and Greg Maddux. The previous regime should have had zero problem recognizing that. The current regime DID have zero problem recognizing it.
From day 1.
To be fair though, Johnson's issues as a 'head case' had nothing to do with him being perceived as soft, or not 'wanting it' enough... au contraire.
Morrow's personality isn't likely to change, but certainly the mental aspects of his approach can be honed. I'm pretty confident this coaching staff will put an appropriate amount of focus on that aspect of his game.
Those are two different situations entirely. No doubt.
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Tell you somethin' just 'tween you and me and the fence post, GL... as I've watched Morrow deal with the flak and the demotions and the disappointments, his demeanor has impressed. He has shut up and kept going about his business, and has even shown a fair amount of push-through.
When he's interviewed, I like the low pitch in his voice, the lean into the mike, the body language generally.
Just chitchat, but Morrow is starting to win me over a bit, as far as the makeup.
Fans seem to get really bothered by athletes who don't behave the way they want them to.
The M's best recent examples are Bedard and Meche. Garcia used to upset people too, because he didn't seem to be the fiery competitor people wanted to see, and he liked to party. Those are three of the Mariners' best pitchers over the past 10 or so years.
I once was imparted some wisdom by my favorite boss who said, make your words match your actions and the world is yours. This was because while I was kicking bootay I would tell anyone who listened that I just didn't care much about the work.
If the actions are remarkable, and the words back it up, that is power.
I haven't seen Morrow lately at all. It's good to hear that his body language is better. I also thought in a sound bite that he sounded a bit more comfortable than before.
The kid is young... I think about how introverted I was at his age vs. now, and it's a huge difference. Mowing down some MLB teams for a while should help transform his psyche at least a little bit.
Its great to see Morrow and Snell finish on a high note.
If nothing else, it certainly doesn't hurt his trade value.
Wonder what Zduriencik could pull off around Felix, Morrow, and Lopez. Maybe get Fielder and Braun in here?
Can't have those old-school retreads dirtying up the roster...
That would be a HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIBLE deal for the Mariners. Two good pitchers (including one perennial CY candidate) and Lopez (making a big hole on our MIF or at 3B) for Braun (LF) and Fielder (FATASS...er...I mean 1B....err...I mean...DH?...err...I mean DL...yeah...that's where he'll end up in a year or two...DL...that position will be clogged with his 350 pound gigantic self and Carlos BLOB Silva)
That may be the worst idea you've floated even casually in a very long time.
For Felix, Morrow and Lopez you ought to be able to acquire the NL Central.
Or, if Bedard's included, at least Alcides Escobar...
Fielder is a lefty 1.000 OPS type in his prime. Great patience, good contact rates for a power hitter, monster pop.
I wouldn't give up Felix, but Morrow+Lopez I'd do. Fielder is paid $10mil next year and still has one arbitration year after that. Two bargain years of Fielder for 2 bargain years of Lopez and 4 years of Morrow seems fair to me.
...I wouldn't necessarily disregard the idea of trading for Fielder, but it's been my observation that gigantic men who clearly have a severe eating disorder are not likely to age well.
If being 40 lbs. overweight is a 'severe eating disorder' then I'd better make a phone call here...
You could probably name some jumbo-sized players, such as Prince's daddy, who didn't do much after 30.
David Ortiz just hit the wall at 32-33, which seems quite early considering his sky-high peak and LH bat.
If people wanted to shy away from Prince Fielder's 300/400/600 bat I could sympathize, though I probably wouldn't worry much myself...
Fielder has played his whole career in the NL. Dollars to donuts...(and he eats many of the latter while costing many of the former) he's going to regress if he comes to the AL, even if he DH's
Also...he's not 40 pounds overweight...he's 320 pounds for a man with a height suggesting he should be 240 pounds.
Thats true, but hes still what, 26? I think he'll be fine for 3-4 years at least.
Personally don't think Fielder would regress much. He has a great eye for the strikezone and hits the ball rediculously hard. I think that'll translate.
I'd bet on Fielder being successful like Guerrero, Cabrera, Bay, etc. Braun is actually the one that would worry me... (poor plate discipline could get exposed)
There is nothing wrong with being worried about a players physical condition when projecting their future, but locking into a philosophy is the biggest mistake made by most managers. You must be intellectually nimble.